BY Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Four teenage girls. One shared bathroom. And a well that pumped water at the miserly rate of 2.6 gallons per minute.

You might say that self-preservation resulted in my early and abiding interest in water issues.

I understood at a young age that (1) water is precious and (2) there will be severe consequences for those who leave a hose running unattended. Lessons that still hold true today.

If I hadn't become a policy wonk and editorial writer, I probably would have been a water lawyer. (Having sharpened my nails in battles with my sisters over whose turn it was to take a shower, I am well prepared to fight for someone else's water rights.)

So, when the opportunity arose recently to work for the Sonoma County Water Agency as a public information officer, I decided to take the plunge.

The job is a chance to work daily on one of the county's most critical challenges: How to make sure there is enough water for Sonoma County residents, farmers and fish as we enter an era of uncertain climate change.

No easy task -- but one that I believe in passionately.

Unfortunately, entering a new world means leaving a familiar, wonderful, old one.

And no matter what you read about newspapers these days, The Press Democrat is amazing -- both as a community institution and a place to work.

On the former, just ask anyone who has lived in another mid-sized city about their hometown daily, and they will tell you how lucky we are to have The Press Democrat.

Every day the paper provides balanced, well-written coverage of issues, meetings and events. It has reporters and editors with deep historical knowledge of the area. It has terrific photographers. It has copy editors who care about grammar, accuracy and making sure the headlines reflect what the stories say.

Yes, mistakes are made. But they are also corrected. And, yes, like all newspapers, The Press Democrat is challenged by the explosion of the Internet. But in this area, too, the paper is committed to serving the needs of its (online) community.

In the more than eight years I've worked for The Press Democrat, I've always been proud to call it my employer.

Much of that enjoyment came from my co-workers.

For most of my time at The Press Democrat, four of us shared one office -- a person in each corner: Pete Golis, longtime editorial director; Paul Gullixson, current editorial director; Patty Hayes, copy editor; and me, an editorial writer.

In a space this close, without walls or cubicles, you learn a lot about one another. You know lunch habits, quirks and (often in way too much detail) favorite sports teams. You learn the issues that you each feel passionately about -- and where you differ, you learn how to tread carefully.

You learn who has a penchant for making predictions and how right -- and wrong -- they can be. (Pete, on Nov. 6, 2002: "I predict that Arnold Schwarzenegger will be governor in 2006." Pete, on that same day: "Cheney will resign as vice-president and Elizabeth Dole will take his place.")

You also learn how carefully your co-workers consider their words when writing sensitive editorials and headlines and how dedicated they are to producing a paper that serves the public interest.

Readers, too, are part of the pleasure of working for a newspaper. For better or worse, they are always eager to share their opinion.

Recently, one reader sent an e-mail excoriating us for a mistake we made in reference to President Bush. (We accidentally called him "President Bust" in an editorial on runaway federal spending. On April Fool's Day. It was a typo. Honest.) This was immediately followed by a note from another reader thanking us for our good, well-reasoned writing. You gotta love that.

And, every time we write about growth (no matter what we say), we hear from Reader A who thinks we're in the pocket of developers and Reader B who is sure we are environmental shills.

But most of the notes and calls that we receive are from people with thoughtful comments, questions and suggestions -- people who are eager to better our community and country.

On Wednesday, a representative of the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts noted that big-name artists like to tape live shows from the center "because the Sonoma County audience is so smart. They get it."

Ditto for the readers of the editorial pages. You get it, and you've made my job a pleasure. Thank you for the privilege.

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