WASHINGTON, DC, OCT 12, 2017 -- Today, over 700 organizations across the country will urge their communities to Imagine a Day Without Water. The Value of Water Campaign is spearheading the third annual day of advocacy and education to help raise awareness about the severe challenges facing water systems from coast to coast. Water is essential to our daily lives and the nation's economy, but most Americans take safe and reliable water access for granted.
Every economic sector relies on water. A single nationwide day without water service would put $43.5 billion of economic activity at risk. Hospitals and firefighters require water to keep us healthy and safe. A day without water would be nothing short of a humanitarian, political, and economic crisis. Unfortunately, some communities in America do not have to imagine the crisis of a day without water -- from alga blooms in Toledo, to contamination in Flint, to hurricanes knocking out water service in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, millions of Americans know how trying it is to go even a day without water. America can and must do better.
The problems that face our drinking water and wastewater systems are multi-faceted. The infrastructure is aging and in need of investment, having gone underfunded for decades. Drought, flooding, and climate change stress water and wastewater systems. That is why the Value of Water Campaign is hosting Imagine a Day Without Water -- to give everyone who cares about water a chance to speak with one voice, on one day, about the need to invest in these critical systems.
"Today we stand together and say that no American community should ever have to go a day without water. The problems that face our water systems are complex-they will not be free or easy to solve. Over 80 percent of Americans believe that rebuilding our nation's infrastructure should be a top priority for our elected officials. Now is the time to act," said Radhika Fox, Director of the Value of Water Campaign and CEO of the US Water Alliance.
Across the country today, water utilities are opening their doors and inviting the public in for tours of their facilities, breweries are hosting beer tasting events to showcase recycled water, schools are holding art contests, and much more. A full list of participating organizations is available here.
The Value of Water Campaign educates and inspires the nation about how water is essential, invaluable, and in need of investment. Spearheaded by top leaders in the water industry, the Value of Water Campaign is building public and political will for investment in America's water infrastructure
