Imagine a day without water.
No water to take a shower, brush your teeth, or brew a cup of coffee to start your day. No water to flush the toilet. No water for firefighters to put out fires, farmers to water their crops or doctors to wash their hands before treating you.
A day without water is nothing short of a crisis. We’ve seen it play out across the country. Flooding and other natural disasters have knocked out water services in Houston, Florida, Puerto Rico and beyond. Lead-contaminated water paralyzed Flint, Michigan.
MCD is raising awareness of the value of water by participating in today’s Imagine a Day Without Water event along with hundreds of agencies and organizations across the country. And this year, local breweries in the area are partnering with us.
Special drink coasters are available at Crooked Handle in Piqua and Star City in Miamisburg. Breweries understand the value of water because they rely on clean water to make great beer. The coasters feature a QR code that takes you to a short quiz on water and a chance to win a Great Miami Riverway prize package that includes tickets to local events and water-themed swag.
“It’s easy to take water for granted, says Mike Ekberg, MCD manager for water monitoring and analysis. “You turn on the faucet, and water flows from the tap. And in this region, we’re fortunate to have an aquifer with about 1.5 trillion gallons of good, clean groundwater for drinking.”
But we can’t be complacent. Communities rely on abundant, clean water to thrive and to keep our economy strong. “Whether it’s for drinking, industry, agriculture or recreation, all of us want and need good quality water,” Ekberg says.
MCD is the region’s leader in water resources. “Through our work in protecting the region from flooding, tracking water quality and quantity, and promoting our rivers as great playgrounds, we know how important water is,” says MaryLynn Lodor, MCD general manager. “That’s why we joined this effort to help everyone think about and appreciate the value of water.”
Go to MCD’s Imagine a Day Without Water link to take a quiz to get started and be entered into a prize drawing! The contest runs through Oct. 31.