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The Value of Water
Water: so vitally essential, so readily available, so easily forgotten.
It courses through our veins, keeps us thinking clearly, and grows our food. A turn of the tap keeps us hydrated, cleanses our bodies, and nourishes our lives. The Rogue River, flowing year-round, never runs dry.
The availability of water is so reliable we rarely think about it.
But keeping water flowing through our taps cannot be taken for granted. Such convenience requires a reliable water treatment facility, and ours is on borrowed time. The Replacement Water Treatment Plant will help ensure our future.
It’s time we think about water, and where we might be without it.
Each year in October, the City of Grants Pass participates in the “Imagine a Day Without Water” campaign to raise awareness and educate people about the value of water, and the importance of robust investment in water infrastructure so that all may have access to safe, affordable water.
The information below was compiled by the Value of Water Campaign. Follow the link to read their 2023 Value of Water Index
- Challenge and Opportunity
- Water and You
- Water and the Community
- Water and the Environment
- Water and the Economy
Challenge
Our nation’s water and wastewater infrastructure is at risk. Here are the challenges we face:
- 1.7 trillion: The number of gallons of drinking water we lose every year to faulty, aging, or leaky pipes. When you add in leakage from sewer and stormwater pipes, that number rises to 6 trillion gallons.
- 237,600: The number of water main breaks every year in the US. That’s 700 a day, and almost one every two minutes.
- 47 years: The average age of our pipes. Pipes in urban centers are often older— Philadelphia’s pipes average an age of 78 years; Washington D.C.’s average 77 years; New York’s average 76 years.
- D: The grade U.S. drinking water and wastewater infrastructure receive from the American Society of Civil Engineers.
- $4.8 trillion: What we need to invest over the next twenty years to keep our water and wastewater systems in a state of good repair. Storm water systems will require an addition $298 billion over the next 20 years.
Opportunity
All of these challenges offer opportunities. Investing in our nation’s water and wastewater infrastructure creates jobs, grows the economy, and builds a stronger America. Here’s how we all can gain:
- $524 billion: The economic contribution of 30 large water and wastewater utilities over the next decade.
- 289,000: The number of jobs that 30 large water and wastewater utilities will support over the next decade.
- 16: The number of jobs supported in the economy from $1 million of direct investment in water. This is on par with investment in military spending, clean energy, transportation and health care.
- 1/3: The percentage of current water sector employees eligible for retirement. Utilities are actively recruiting and training new workers to fill these employment opportunities.
- The average American uses 176 gallons of water per day—that’s 64,240 gallons a year!
- 40% of water in America is used to produce the food we eat and the beverages we drink.
- How is water used in your home? On average, 17% goes toward showering, 27% is used by the toilet, your faucet drains 15%, your clothes washer another 22%, miscellaneous needs take up 5%, and those pesky leaks steal another 14%.
- If drinking water and soda pop cost equally, your water bill would skyrocket more than 10,000%.
- 22,284—the number of gallons used per day by schools based on an evaluation done of schools in the Tampa Bay region.
- The San Antonio Zoo uses approximately 2 million gallons of water a day to care for the animals.
- The National Hockey League collectively uses more than 300 million gallons of water each season—it takes 12,500 gallons to make ice for each rink.
- Sixty-one percent of Americans rely on lakes, rivers, and streams as their source of drinking water. The other 39% rely on groundwater—water located underground in aquifers and wells.
- 349 billion gallons of freshwater are withdrawn every day in the United States.
- 41 percent of that water (143 billion gallons) is used to produce thermoelectric power, another 37% goes to irrigation.
- 4% of US energy is used for transporting, treating, and pumping water.
- More than one-third of all counties in the lower 48 states will face higher risks of water shortages by mid-century as a result of global warming.
- One-fifth of the US economy would grind to a halt without a reliable and clean source of water.
- 46% of water consumed in America is used to produce the manufacturing products we buy.
- 1 to 3.68—the water jobs multiplier. Every job we create in the water sector helps add another 3.68 jobs in the national economy.
- 1 to 6—every $1 spent on infrastructure improvements in the US generates $6 in returns.
Would water be important?
Need Coffee?
Clean Clothes?
- Does the City of Grants Pass add fluoride to the water?
- Why do the taste and odor of my water sometimes differ?
- Is Grants Pass city water soft or hard?
- What is the pH of the City’s water?
- How long is the water distribution system in Grants Pass?
- How much water does the average customer use each day?