Imagine a Day Without Water: A Chance to Learn More About Your Water
Water, a seemingly unending resource, plays a significant role in our lives, yet the infrastructure needed to maintain access to our homes and businesses is often out of sight, and therefore, out of mind. You wake up, shower, make your coffee, clean your car, feed your family, flush the toilet, wash your laundry. But have you thought about where your water comes from or where your wastewater goes?
October 21 is the Value of Water Campaign’s annual Imagine a Day Without Water, where people across the United States will engage in opportunities to learn about our nation’s water systems and the hard work that goes into ensuring a day without water doesn’t become a reality for your community.
In the United States, most water systems are more than a century old. Aging infrastructure, intensified weather events, and a lack of investment have kept over two million Americans from accessing safe and reliable water and wastewater services.
According to the 2021 Annual Value of Water Index, a reliable water supply is the highest federal priority for voters. Together, we can urge public officials to take responsibility for and invest in our water today and tomorrow.
Water is the lifeline of our communities. Investing in our water and wastewater infrastructure will ensure you have a fresh glass of water each morning, firefighters the ability to fight annual wildfires, hospitals to stay safe and sanitary, and it offers employment opportunities. If the United States closes the water infrastructure investment gap, hundreds of thousands of new jobs will become available over the next few decades alone.
When you imagine a day without water this year, think about how central water is to your daily life. Learn more about the water sources in your area, reach out to local politicians and determine if water infrastructure is a top priority. We know how important water is. It’s up to us to keep the conversation going and ensure that the systems that deliver this valuable resource are reliable for generations to come.