Editor, Gazette-Journal:

In response to a substantial body of scientific evidence that demonstrates a growing threat to the groundwater supply of the Virginia coastal plain, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has recommended expanding the Eastern Virginia Groundwater Management Area to include the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula. Like many policy issues that involve the management of natural resources—think menhaden fishing, uranium mining, and shale gas extraction—managing the groundwater supply fires up a lot of nerve endings.

Lost in a clatter of ideological self-righteousness and political sniping is the fact that many government regulations safeguard our health and safety. Drunk driver laws, food safety regulations, and fire codes are a few that come to mind. Certainly, protecting the quality and supply of our water is no less important. Several hard truths demonstrate a critical need for groundwater management.

First, residents of the coastal ...