Even writing here from North Carolina where we’re under a flash flood watch following days of prolonged rain, a day without water isn’t so hard to imagine given that most of the state has been abnormally dry or under moderate drought lately. But take a second to imagine – what if there was really no water? No clean water to drink, no water with which to flush the toilet, nowhere to paddle and nowhere to swim? Water is essential and we wouldn’t last long, which is why the Value of Water Coalition is working to highlight the need to invest now in our water systems.

Crumbling infrastructure leads to sewer overflows, water main breaks and boil advisories – Florida alone is reporting the need for $16.5 billion for drinking water infrastructure over the next 20 years and the American Society of Civil Engineers regularly grades the nation’s water infrastructure as just above failing. Increased investment, but also smarter investment, is needed to restore the critical systems that deliver and treat clean and safe water for our use.

And while stories of crumbling infrastructure in need of reinvestment abound, many rivers already have to exist without their water or without enough water to be healthy – no imagination required. Withdrawals from surface and groundwater by agriculture, cities and mining combine with drought, climate change and water diversions, like dams, to alter the very form and function of the rivers that provide drinking water for roughly two-thirds of us in the United States. Rivers like the Rio Grande that no longer flow to the sea, or the Colorado are clear examples. But these are not limited to the West – the Ipswich River in Massachusetts and Georgia’s Flint River are examples.

Some strategies can help make both our rivers and our water infrastructure more resilient:

• Invest in solutions that keep water local and reduce waste – using practices that protect and restore natural hydrology and capture and reuse water on-site will reduce energy use and polluted runoff, while also restoring natural reserves that contribute to baseflows in many systems. Meanwhile, water efficiency, recycling and reuse and reducing water loss from existing infrastructure can reduce the need to build new infrastructure by stretching supplies and leaving more for our rivers.
• Protecting small streams and wetlands – source water protection has repeatedly proved to be a cost-effective investment for ensuring clean drinking water supplies while also providing flood control and greenspace. Similarly, supporting policies like the recent Clean Water Rule, help protect the many small streams and wetlands that filter water flowing to our drinking water sources.
• Pay what it’s worth – water is under priced given its critical role in our lives and it’s not free! We all need to be willing to pay what it’s worth, support local rate increases, and encourage the federal government to invest more in sustainable water infrastructure.

Imagine a day without water… and then let’s continue to restore those rivers already facing that fate and make sure it doesn’t happen elsewhere.

by Katherine Baer 

Katherine is River Network’s Directory of Science & Policy and is on the Board of the U.S. Water Alliance, which manages the Value of Water Coalition.