Can you truly imagine a day without running water to make your coffee, shower, brush your teeth, flush your toilet, wash your dishes and to do your laundry? We take water for granted and we take the infrastructure that brings it so conveniently to our homes and businesses for granted. But what if water was in question?
According to research released in 2019 by the US Water Alliance and DigDeep, it was identified that there are two million individuals in our country who lack access to clean and safe drinking water and sanitation services. In addition, millions more are on the verge of losing water access. Black, Indigenous and Communities of Color, as well as low-income communities, are the most likely to lack adequate plumbing and face other water access issues.
In the last year, dozens of US communities—from New England and West Virginia to Mississippi and across the country to New Mexico—experienced devastating impacts to their water systems due to ice storms, heavy rains, flooding, drought, and failing infrastructure. These impacts require expensive repairs to ensure consistent provision of water services to communities. Due to the burden on customers to be the primary source of funding for infrastructure improvements, many people experience multi-day service interruptions because of the inability to pay increasingly higher water bills.
Imagine a Day Without Water serves as a National Day of Action to unite communities and policymakers to advance greater and more equitable investment in water systems. With the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2021, which includes over $50 billion dedicated to improving water infrastructure, the time is ripe to advocate for continued, sustainable water infrastructure investment in communities that have lacked adequate resources for far too long.
Capital Strategic Solutions joins the call for investment in water systems and the communities they serve, acknowledging that water is a critical element to our survival.
For more information about participating in the annual event, visit https://imagineadaywithoutwater.org/.