10th Annual Imagine a Day Without Water event planned for Oct. 17

By Don Ireland, contributing writer for Colorado WaterWise

It’s been a decade since the first “Imagine a Day Without Water” event was held across the US. This year’s activities will offer more information and resources for water and wastewater providers, mayors, local officials, contractors, civil engineers, schools, aquariums and other participants united to bring home the point that protecting and recognizing the importance of water is a topic nobody should ignore.

Christy Harowski, director of the Value of Water Campaign for the U.S. Water Alliance, said, “We hoping to do things big this year. We’re hoping to reach the highest number of people across the country that we’ve ever reached in celebration of this 10^th anniversary. We’re leaning into the anniversary theme and the fact that we all have a stake in water. It’s not just the responsibilities of our utilities and our government. We all have a personal investment in water.”

“We put our website out there for everyone to use,” according to Harowski. “We believe in the Imagine a Day Without Water campaign in the theory that awareness will lead to action, which will ultimately lead to more investment at every level. At the end of the day, it is investment that is required to face and tackle the water challenges we have in front of us—whether the source of the challenge is infrastructure or climate impact. It could be a challenge of deep-seated inequity and how we provide access to water. It’s hard to make progress on any of these challenges without investments. The ultimate goal for the Imagine a Day event is to collectively join our voices to acknowledge how important water is for us all.”

The event’s website has resources available for those planning to participate on Thursday, Oct. 17. “The theme is going to be ‘What’s your drop in the bucket,’ said Harowski. “We have built some awesome templates to use that can be fillable and printable. They’ll have the 10^th anniversary logo and the theme ‘My drop in the bucket’ on them. It can be the primary engagement tool for people from around the country to share with their neighbors, community or on social media. They can share how they’re getting engaged with our 10^th anniversary.”

In addition, the website will offer visitors photos of ten drops, with each one listing possible ideas of what they can do for the event. “You can pick one or more of the resources we have available,” Harowski added. “Each of the 10 drops will lead you to a link for various things, such as a social media toolkit. Other resources will be for those wishing to support elected officials who advocate for water investment.”

Different parts of the county have unique challenges with water issues. In Colorado during early August, five wildfires occurred in different parts of the Centennial State. “Some of our messages will include the theme that we tend to feel the impact of climate change and extreme weather through water—or the lack thereof,” noted Harowski. “Depending on your location in the county, you might experience either too much water from extreme rainstorms—this hurricane season is predicted to be one of the worst in history—or a lack of water, which could lead to wildfires. There also can be challenges on how to address droughts.”

According to the U.S. Water Alliance, “Each year, the impacts of Imagine a Day Without Water grow tremendously—from utility site visits, to student art contests, to clever Instagram reels, to mayoral proclamations in recognition of the day and so much more. This election year, let’s get 10 times louder about the importance of water in our daily lives and the ongoing need to invest in water infrastructure to secure reliable, safe and affordable systems for generations to come.”

In Harowski’s words, “No matter where you are in the country, you’re bound to feel the impact of water in your life.”

Source: Colorado WaterWise