Drinking Water Week is Here!
May 6, 2023It’s Drinking Water Week — the American Water Works Association’s annual celebration of the vital and often under-appreciated role that drinking water plays in our daily lives!
Clean, safe water is essential to protecting public health and our environment. We literally need clean water to survive—so much so that the Mayo Clinic says the age-old advice to drink eight cups of water daily (64 fluid oz) should be considered a mere starting point, and that most people need even more to stay healthy!
Yet every day, millions of us turn on the tap without giving any thought to the infrastructure that carried the water there. And we rarely, if ever, think about the critical work of water professionals who make it all possible. Utility employees work around the clock, 365 days a year—working on weekends, holidays, and even through the pandemic—to ensure that homes and businesses alike have clean and reliable water service all day, every day.
Water is Indispensable
“Access to clean, safe drinking water is vital to our daily health, hygiene and hydration,” says American Water Works Association CEO David LaFrance. “Professionals in the water sector work tirelessly to ensure we have affordable access to the high-quality water we need to strengthen our everyday life and broader communities today and in the future.”
Many vital improvements in the health, prosperity, and longevity of the U.S. population over the last 100 years can be attributed to improvements in water quality as well. Water treatment and disinfection have made U.S. tap water one of the safest and healthiest drinking water supplies in the world. And water systems support our communities in other ways as well.
“Our local water systems protect public health, fight fires, support the economy and provide everyday conveniences—they are a critical part of our daily life and our way of life we take for granted,” says AWWA CEO David LaFrance. “The 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act injected $50 billion into drinking water, wastewater and infrastructure, and while a great start, additional investments will be needed to keep water, the lifeblood of our communities, flowing.”
Expand Your H20 Horizons
To commemorate drinking water week, water utilities, water organizations, government entities, environmental advocates, schools and others throughout North America and beyond are encouraging consumers to learn more about the importance of water services and water infrastructure, especially in times of crisis.
We hope you’ll join us as we take time to appreciate the critical role that drinking water plays, both in our lives and in society. You can follow the links below to find out about:
- Lead in drinking water (and please take our survey if you haven’t already!)
Resources for Kids
Parents, guardians and educators: Children can learn about water through
interactive games and activities! Just click the links below to download
materials:
Activity booklet — English
Activity booklet — Spanish
Puzzle – English
Puzzle – Spanish
Eye Spy – English
Eye Spy – Spanish
Coloring Sheet – English
Coloring Sheet – Spanish