Most Americans take water for granted. They flush the toilet, and dirty water goes away. Many have never even thought about the infrastructure that brings water to their homes, and safely returns water to our environment. The reality is, our water infrastructure is aging and failing. While many cannot imagine a day without water, there are many communities that have lived, and are living, without water because they don’t have access to safe and reliable water systems.
Today, DLZ joins community leaders, businesses, and advocacy organizations across the nation to express our support of Imagine a Day Without Water, in an effort to educate the public about the water infrastructure crisis currently facing the United States.
One Day Without Water
Imagine a day without water for one moment. It means no water to shower or flush the toilet, and no water to drink or cook with, no water to do laundry or dishes. A single nationwide day without water service would put $43.5 billion in economic activity at risk and would make it impossible for doctors, firefighters, and farmers to serve our communities. A day without water is a public health and safety crisis. Our water infrastructure supports every facet of our daily lives, but our water infrastructure is facing incredible challenges. Demographic and climate pressures, such as increased natural disasters, drought, flooding, and wildfire, threaten our infrastructure and increase the possibility of a day without water. These challenges look different to different communities and will require local solutions, but it’s clear that reinvestment in our water systems must be a national priority.
Investing in Water Infrastructure
Closing our nation’s water infrastructure gap would generate over $220 billion in total annual economic activity, create and sustain over a million jobs, and guarantee our public health and environmental safety. Americans widely support increased investment in our nation’s water infrastructure. National polling shows 88 percent of Americans support increasing federal investment to rebuild water infrastructure, and 75 percent of Americans want Congress to invest in our nation’s water infrastructure before our systems fail. No other issue facing our public officials has such a broad consensus, and 2018’s elections represent an opportunity to make sure water is top of mind for candidates.
There is no doubt about it – a day without water is a crisis. No community can thrive without water and every person deserves a safe, reliable, accessible water system.
Click here to learn how you can help educate the public about the water infrastructure crisis currently facing our communities.
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