Scientists recently announced a discovery of a large source of water on our neighboring planet, Mars. 

But word of the discovery comes with both good news and bad news.

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The good news is data from a retired NASA mission indicates there may be enough water, trapped in tiny cracks and pores of rock in the middle of Mars crust, to fill oceans on the planet’s surface.

The bad news is future astronauts exploring Mars will have a hard time getting to the water, because it’s located some 7-to-12 miles beneath the surface.

So, it’s not exactly the long-term solution to local, or even regional, water supply issues that we were looking for. But it’s interesting nonetheless.

And this is just the latest in a series of discoveries that NASA announced regarding evidence of water on Mars. There is even a Colorado connection, due to the Boulder-based team that built the high-res camera used to photograph the red planet. 

All of this has continued to support NASA scientists’ theories that Mars could harbor some type of life form. 

And, if there is life on Mars, we at Denver Water feel an extraterrestrial responsibility to provide the little green people on the red planet with a few tips and lessons learned about how to efficiently use water in a dry climate. 

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(We figure Mars qualifies as dry, since water vapor is present in the Martian atmosphere at a level 30 times less than on Earth.)

Tips from Denver Water: 

Tip #1: Educate customers about efficient water use. 

If they haven’t already, Martians may want to establish a water utility. That utility should make sure customers understand how precious water is on the planet and why it should be used efficiently. 

Because Mars’ surface is a dry, barren wasteland marked by old volcanoes and impact craters and its average daily temperature is -81 degrees Fahrenheit, outdoor irrigation rules should not be an issue. Indoor use, however, is another matter, as apparently toilets in space have their own unique challenges.

Tip #2: Negotiate intergalactic compacts carefully. 

Since water in space seems to be as scarce as it is here in the western U.S., Mars should be very careful about negotiating water-use compacts with its neighbors. 

You might have heard about ongoing difficulties with the Colorado River Compact, the mega-drought in the Colorado River basin, and how the river’s flows were over-allocated from the start of the multistate compact. That whole situation has come back to bite us all. 

So, if Jupiter and Saturn come looking to share Mars’ new-found water supply, Mars should be very wary. Just sayin’.

Tip #3: Manage growth effectively. 

Mars has always been seen as a destination for potential development. You might remember Matt Damon hanging out there in The Martian. But what if Matt’s buddy George Clooney comes up for a sequel? The next thing you know, Matthew McConaughey is making awful Lincoln car commercials up there. Then all bets are off! 

Point being, Mars must handle growth in a smart, sustainable way so it can manage its extremely limited water resources effectively.

In summary, we are all in this together. 

It’s a great big universe, and there is only so much water to go around. If there are Martians, they are at the beginning of a very long and difficult journey with the management of water on their planet. We hope some of these tips will help them avoid the mistakes we’ve made, so they can create a thriving, healthy planet that someday earthlings will want to visit.

And, as a founding member of the Splashstreet Boys, I speak for the band in saying we would love to share our unique brand of water conservation messaging intergalactically. After all, while we encourage everyone to, you know … ‘Water That Way,” we are still looking for our next gig. 

It’s been a few months, and our 15 minutes of fame on Earth are up.