By Jennifer Nations, Water Resource Coordinator
Millions of Americans take water for granted. They turn on the tap, and clean water flows out. They flush the toilet, and dirty water goes away.
Regular hand washing is one of the most important ways to limit the spread of COVID-19 and other diseases, yet we rarely think about what it takes to make water flow freely from the tap and safely return to the environment.
Wednesday marks the sixth annual Imagine a Day Without Water, a day of action and awareness that highlights water’s essential nature in our daily lives and the importance of investing in our water infrastructure to responsibly provide a sustainable water supply for future generations.
Every day, College Station Water Services does the essential work of ensuring you have clean, healthy drinking water and safe sanitation. Our ample water supply helps protect public safety in other ways, too.
Without sufficient water pressure for our network of 3,233 fire hydrants, the College Station Fire Department wouldn’t be able to fight fires. Thankfully, our water distribution system’s outstanding reliability helped College Station receive a Class 1 ISO fire rating — and that means you may pay less to insure your home or business.
Our two water towers hold a combined five million gallons and provide enough water pressure to simultaneously run washing machines and irrigation systems while supplying adequate flow from hydrants to extinguish fires. A third water tower under construction near the Baylor Scott & White Hospital will stabilize the water pressure and help meet our ever-growing demands.
As the Lick Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant expands its capacity from two million to five million gallons per day, the Carter Creek plant continues to turn an average of six million gallons of wastewater into clean water every day.
Here are two ways you can commemorate Imagine A Day Without Water:
- Watch Brave Blue World, a Netflix documentary that starts airing Wednesday. The film spotlights global water issues and highlights scientific and technological advancements that assure the world of access to clean water and safe sanitation services while protecting the environment.
- Encourage fifth-graders you know to enter the Imagine A Day Without Water poster contest, sponsored by Texas Section AWWA and Water Environment Association of Texas by Oct. 31. Up to 13 winning entries will be featured in the 2021 Imagine A Day Without Water calendar. Participants are invited to draw a picture that illustrates the theme of “What Do You Love About Water? Why is Water Important to You, Your Friends, or Your Family?”.
College Station consistently ranks among the nation’s best places to live and fastest-growing communities. We’re committed to investing in the infrastructure our growing community needs to remain such a great place to live and do business.
About the Blogger Jennifer Nations has been the City of College Station’s water resource coordinator since 1999 after serving two years as BVSWMA’s environmental compliance officer. She’s also chair of the Water Conservation and Reuse Division for the Texas Section of the American Water Works Association. A native of Fremont, Calif., Jennifer earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental & resource science from UC-Davis in 1995 and a master’s degree in water management & hydrologic science from Texas A&M in 2016.
If you found value in this blog post, please share it with your social network and friends!
