Water. It’s everywhere: Dashing in rivulets on the journey down creeks and streams to end up in ponds, lakes and the sound — rushing in winter, languid by late summer — and, of course, it surrounds our island.

But, really, how important is water to Whidbey?

For months Record readers have been inundated with the pros and cons of surface water management. Letters and columns from environmentalists, developers, government officials, farmers and private citizens have debated the issue with varying degrees of civility.

South Whidbey Record publisher Sherry Mays believes citizens need to talk, not shout, about subjects vital to the island’s future.

“When I first arrived here last year, I realized one of my responsibilities was to deal with major issues, especially in critical areas such as water quality,” she said. “I decided to create a series of forums to bring people together without a preconceived bias on way or the other.”

Thus The Exchange was born, and the issue of water is the first item on the agenda.

Tonight at 7 p.m. in the Front Room of Bayview’s Cash Store, Fusionspark Media CEO Russell Sparkman will present a three-part slide show of his experiences dealing with Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection to communicate the importance of the freshwater springs system in Florida.

Sparkman’s company developed a Web site (www.florida springs.org) to spread awareness to Floridians that activities taking place on the surface, such as putting fertilizer on the lawn or spilling oil on the driveway, eventually have an impact on the source of their drinking water.

“I’m hoping those who attend will listen, share and learn,” Mays said.

Sparkman is passionate about the possibilities of taking the valuable lessons learned in Florida and applying them to Whidbey.

“There’s been a lot of acrimonious debate here, but one thing Florida taught me is that the costs of undoing problems are economically far greater than if they had been resolved through a common-sense approach,” Sparkman said.

“And the earlier the better, for everyone,” he said.

Sparkman hopes to convince people that runoff from roofs, driveways and parking lots are as serious a threat to water quality as a little extra fertilizer on someone’s lawn.

Whidbey officials are concerned as well. County commissioners agreed in January to spend $204,000 this year alone to monitor surface freshwater in a program designed to detect and respond to any potential source of surface water contamination; in streams, lakes and wetlands, places that could affect critical areas of agriculture and human habitation.

“Florida has led the nation in dealing with a dynamic water system — billions of gallons of rain fall in short periods — and a growing population that increasingly puts a burden on that system,” Sparkman said.

“There are approaches to be made on the state and private level worth considering. I can bear witness and help make the connection between there and here,” he said.

Tonight’s Exchange is free and open to the public.