Join Us for National Drinking Water Week, May 4-10!
May 5, 2025Whether you’re making iced tea on a hot day; rinsing veggies for dinner; or getting clean in the shower, safe tap water is an essential part of life. That’s why we’re celebrating the American Water Works Association‘s Drinking Water Week—our favorite time of the year!
Did you know that in 1908, Jersey City, N.J., became the first U.S. city to start routinely disinfecting community drinking? Other cities and towns soon followed their lead—and improvements in public health followed. Expanding access to safe drinking water has been among the nation’s most important public health achievements.
Here in the Lehigh Valley, LCA serves 20 municipalities via 14 systems that carry drinking water through 662 miles of pipes to 55,000 properties. In Allentown alone, there are 330 miles of water mains!
Yet every day, most of us turn on the tap without giving any thought to the infrastructure that carries clean water from source to tap. And we rarely, if ever, think about the critical work of water professionals who make it all possible. LCA employees work around the clock, 365 days a year, to ensure that homes and businesses alike have clean and reliable water service all day, every day.
Millions of Gallons of H2O Each Day
On average, LCA supplies about 24.5 million gallons of clean, safe water per day to all of our customers in Allentown and on our Suburban side.
We draw the water from 25 different sources, almost evenly split between groundwater sources such as the Schantz Spring and Crystal Spring, and surface water sources like the Little Lehigh Creek.
After treatment and testing, it’s transferred to a series of “finished water” reservoirs that each can hold millions of gallons. From there, it makes its way to homes and businesses all over the Lehigh Valley via gravity through a vast system of mains and pipes. (To learn more about the process, see Where Does My Drinking Water Come From?)
“Drinking Water Week is a time to celebrate the incredible journey of our water, from source water to treatment to our taps,” says David LaFrance, CEO of the American Water Works Association (AWWA). “This year, we invite communities to explore the science and recognize the dedicated professionals behind our water, who ensure every drop meets the highest standards of quality and safety.”
A Precious Gift
“Protecting public health is at the heart of everything we do in the water profession,” says LaFrance. “Highly skilled, dedicated water professionals are committed to ensuring communities have the high-quality water they need for a healthy, thriving future.”
To commemorate the American Water Works Association’s 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 this week as we take time to appreciate the critical role that drinking water plays, both in our lives and in society. Follow our social media accounts for additional content, and check out the links below to learn more about:
Parents, guardians and educators: Kids 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