The week of May 3 to May 9 is Drinking Water Week. The American Water Works Association founded Drinking Water Week to bring recognition to the essential role of drinking water in our daily lives.
The AWWA and its members encourage the public and water professionals during Drinking Water Week to reach out and engage with their communities to celebrate the importance of water and to learn about ways we all can protect this precious resource. The week also reminds the public that water utilities and its employees play a critical role in providing clean, safe, and abundant water to the public.
AWWA, in 1988, brought Drinking Water Week to the forefront by engaging government and other agencies such as the League of Women Voters, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators to promote awareness of water’s importance to the public and private sectors.
President Reagan signed a resolution to declare the first week of May as the official Drinking Water Week.
Here are important facts about drinking water and how water utilities are involved in keeping the taps flowing:
Drinking Water is Vital to Our Health
- Our bodies are made up of 60 percent water, and our blood is 90 percent water.
- Water is essential for the health of our kidneys and other bodily functions.
- Without water, our skin can develop disorders and can more easily wrinkle.
- Water delivers oxygen throughout the body via our blood.
- Dehydration can reduce the shock-absorbing ability of our joints, which are filled with water-fueled cartilage.
- Water regulates our body temperature. Stored within the middle layers of the skin, water appears as sweat when the body heats up and cools our body as it evaporates.
- Most people can live without food for nearly a month, but would only survive one week without water.
Drinking Water Services and Other Water Facts
- 5.3 billion people used safe, uncontaminated drinking water services in 2017. (WHO)
- The United States uses about 450 billion gallons of water every day. Six percent is used by the public water supply systems.
- 185 gallons of water per day, per person in the U.S. is pumped by public water utilities.
- Less than 1 percent of the water on earth is available for human use.
- The average American family uses more than 300 gallons of water per day. 70 percent of this is used outdoors.
- The cost to supply water to a home in the U.S. is about $2 for 1,000 gallons
Sources:
Environmental Protection Agency
Eastern Municipal Water District
World Health Organization