4                                                                                                                               Utiligram / November-December 2006

truth is that a well-designed and well-maintained water system operating at sufficient pressures greatly reduces the risk of disastrous infernos spreading throughout a city.  Another benefit to this is lower insurance premiums for home and

business owners.

 

Let’s not forget that many businesses and

commercial enterprise could not operate without an affordable and reliable source of water.  Water is the primary ingredient in many of the consumer products that we ourselves have come to enjoy and rely upon.  In this way, tap water provides critical support to our economy.

 

Lastly, let’s not take for granted the improved

quality of life that we gain from a readily available source of tap water.  In the United States, an

average household uses as much as 100 gallons per person per day.  Only 3-5 percent of this amount of water is consumed as drinking water.   We should all learn to be a little more appreciative of our water infrastructure.

Facts Taken from Opflow Magazine

It always amazes me to think that many Americans will pay as much as $1.50 for a 20 oz bottle of

water and think nothing of it, yet they will oppose even the smallest increase in water rates charged by their local water utility to maintain critical

infrastructure.  This is even more amazing when you consider that for the same $1.50, they could fill that 20 oz water bottle with tap water once a day for more than 13 years.

 

In the United States we are very fortunate that we can drink from any public tap with confidence.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for many countries throughout the world, as nearly 6,000 people die every day worldwide from preventable waterborne diseases.

 

Not only does tap water contribute to public health, but try to imagine firefighters trying to extinguish a house fire by sprinkling bottles of water on it.  The