When someone owns something important, they take care of it. But people care a lot less about things other people own, or about things that they are told everyone “owns.” We would argue that such is the case when it comes to water, which everyone needs but no one “owns.”

There is a name for this situation: the tragedy of the commons, by which individual users acting independently and rationally according to their own self-interest behave contrary to the common good of all users by depleting (or fouling) that resource.

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton has this in mind as he convenes his Water Summit on Saturday at the International Continental Saint Paul Riverfront hotel. He has invited hundreds of people from various backgrounds:?water-quality experts, farmers, lawmakers, regulators, business, county and city leaders and ordinary citizens. And Dayton is coming in with a great goal: talk about solutions rather than blame.

Topics will include urban storm water runoff, rural drainage and how best to use Legacy Amendment sales tax revenue designated for clean water. Also on the agenda: infrastructure needs related to drinking water and wastewater; protecting the Mississippi, the Boundary Waters and Lake Superior; and stopping the spread of invasive species.

We see this summit as a positive, as long as everyone is willing to be honest, accept constructive criticism, and to think and act in new ways. Improving water quality will take grassroots action, better marketing and education, regulatory changes and a vision of what can and should be achieved. We wish the governor and participants good luck.