Can you imagine a day without water?

Essential. Reliable. Invaluable. Water—it’s the thread that weaves together our daily lives. It keeps our communities healthy, our cities running, and our economies growing.

While essential, water infrastructure is largely invisible. Few people realize what it takes to treat and deliver drinking water every day or how wastewater is cleaned so that it can be safely reused or returned to the environment. The high quality of life we enjoy would not be possible without water and the infrastructure that fuels it.

That’s why we’re joining the annual Value of Water Campaign to imagine a day without water.

From a high level, it is hard to grasp the true impact of what a day without water would be like. So, let’s take a look at a few statistics of how we use water and the type of investment that is currently needed across the nation.

*Statistics provided by the Value of Water Campaign.

When you have reliable water service, you don’t have to think twice about the infrastructure that brings water to your homes, and then safely returns water to the environment – but we all should. The reality is, America’s water infrastructure is aging and failing.

So, we ask everyone to take a day to consider what life would be like without accessible water. What would happen if you couldn’t turn on the tap and get clean drinking water, or there was nowhere for wastewater to go?

Here are three things you can do to support water infrastructure and access today and every day:

1. Engage with your local water utility: Recognize the necessity of rate increases and investment in infrastructure, report main breaks and illegal water connections, and participate on an advisory or oversight board

2. Advocate for meaningful legislation: Support local, state, and federal legislation that protects our water supply and invests in infrastructure

3. Reduce your water use: Identify and repair water leaks, install low-flow appliances, reduce your outdoor irrigation, and know the water footprint of the consumer goods you purchase