Tribune editorial staff

Water. Too often we take this precious substance for granted, yet it affects our lives in countless ways. Water is truly the lifeblood of humankind.

Scientists tell us that the adult human body consists of 50 to 65 percent water. Our brains are 75 percent water. While humans can live without food for weeks, lack of water can kill us in just a few days.

Today as we inch closer to the year 2004, one might think that modern conveniences and technology would provide water to each and every person in our county. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

As many city dwellers have become quite accustomed to simply turning the tap and expecting water to flow, for many rural residents, the water is a daily concern.

A number of residents in Lawrence County must depend on either well water or water haulers who bring water by the truckload.

Private companies are reluctant to invest the money required to bring water lines into extreme rural locations because it isn't profitable.

Local government's hands are largely tied because it would be illegal to provide public money to assist a private company.

That leaves government agencies and other private sources to find a resolution. Little will happen in an extremely rural area until it becomes more populated. And that's the reason many people move into rural areas in the first place.

It's a Catch-22 situation. The more populated an area becomes, the more people will relocate to even more remote locations, and the water must follow them.

We, like many county and state government officials, scratch our heads at the conundrum.

Unless the county magically finds gold at the end of a rainbow, it will always struggle to solve the watery problem.

And until that happens, the price of crystal clear drinking water will always remain a matter of green.