Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink. At least that appears to be the opinion of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility.

The activist group issued a statement last week accusing the Ingham County Health Department of censoring important information from its December 2000 water quality report.

The group said hazards to Ingham County’s surface and groundwater were not identified, putting residents in danger.

But the county’s 20-page pamphlet, a pared-down version of the 130-page report, is a thorough and easy-to-digest packet containing the highlights of the original publication’s content. There are tables of the top 20 groundwater pollution points, complete with street addresses, list of pollutants and their sources and lists of contacts for more information.

The entire 130-page report is also available online.

PEER officials have mistaken the Ingham County Health Department’s efforts to create a community-friendly information piece for a conspiracy to put residents’ health at risk.

Few people have the time or desire to read a 130-page report, and the costs of creating copies and distributing them to all Ingham County residents would not be economical. It is an infinitely more effective effort to create a summary version for everyone and make the full version available for those who want it.

While the published report did put a positive spin on the information available, it still provides an adequate source of information to brief residents on the department’s findings.

If there are groups with the suspicion that something is being covered up here, they should consider a more careful review of what information the county is making public.

We should all be concerned about the environment of our county, but crying wolf over the health department’s efforts is no way to keep residents informed.