Reflecting on A Day Without Water

For seven years, the U.S. Water Alliance has hosted its annual Imagine a Day Without Water. Each year on this day, we’re asked to reflect on where water comes from, where it goes, and what the world might look like if this life-giving natural resource were not in such ample supply.

The event’s website puts the potential ramifications of this hypothetical absence into the starkest terms: “[There would be] no water to drink or wash your hands with. No water to shower, flush the toilet, or do laundry. Hospitals would close without water. Firefighters couldn't put out fires and farmers couldn't water their crops. Disease would spread.”

Here in the Atlanta, as is the case in so many parts of the world, it’s not difficult to imagine what this might look like. Recent years, such as this summer, have been wet ones and our concerns around flooding outweigh drought concerns.

And so, on this Imagine a Day Without Water, I find myself thinking about not today, but our history and tomorrow. What the landscape might look like when my son, the seventh generation of my family to live here in Georgia, has grown and has a family of his own. Undoubtedly the earliest origins of my family were reliant on water, I have been reliant on water, and the same will be true for those future generations.

The truth is, however, for all the challenges that we face, I believe that future is a bright one – that the glass is half full. I say this because I’ve seen how many broad strides our community has made toward change.

I’ve seen how the state and the planning district are supporting and developing smart policies and honoring communities that are WaterFirst. Stage-storage policies such as these support the storage of water during wet periods and demonstrate how our long-term and sustainable thinking can support our community for years to come.

I’ve seen Paulding County construct the Richland Creek Reservoir, which provides 3 billion gallons of additional storage in the northwest region.

I’ve seen the City of Atlanta repurpose the Bellwood Quarry to increase the city’s reserve water supply to a minimum of 30.

Although there’s still much to do, the sum of these efforts is encouraging. In part because of the resources that have been dedicated to these efforts – but also because they collectively speak to the commitment that so many parts of our community have made to this cause and to the hope that a day without water will never become a reality.

But of course, it starts with us – and it has to start now.

Let's start thinking about tomorrow.

Contact me at?[email protected]?to keep this discussion going.

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