Tennessee American Water announced on Monday its participation in the national advocacy and educational event, Imagine a Day Without Water. Across the country, organizations, elected officials, businesses, environmental advocates and more are joining together to educate people about how water is essential, the challenges facing water and wastewater systems and the need for investment. The Tennessee Aquarium and Tennessee American Water have partnered to bring special programs free with Aquarium admission on Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m.-noon.
While nature provides water, it takes pipes, pumps, equipment, and people working 24/7 to deliver clean water to homes and businesses, and then remove and treat wastewater so it can safely be reused or returned to the environment. The Tennessee Aquarium and Tennessee American Water want to raise awareness of the importance of water protection and the importance of continued investments needed to assure drinking water is available for health, economy and safety, said officials.
“As they tour our buildings, Aquarium guests gain a better understanding of how the water that flows from the mountains to the sea connects all life,” said Dr. Anna George, director of the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute. “We need to be very thoughtful about our approach to water and understanding how we impact it. Then, we need to ensure that we are protecting water so that it’s drinkable, fishable and swimmable, and saving enough in rivers and streams to support all life.”
Across the U.S., water systems are aging. Every two minutes a water pipe bursts somewhere in the U.S.
"We need water in our homes to take a shower, make coffee, clean, do laundry, or flush the toilet," said Tennessee American Water President Deron Allen. "For businesses from restaurants to manufacturing plants, water is essential to daily operations. Investing in the water system is a top priority. Annually we make $17 to 19 million in infrastructure improvements to make sure that water is here today and for future generations.”
Whether watershed protection or infrastructure needs, the Tennessee Aquarium and Tennessee American Water invite the public to Imagine a Day Without Water and what they can do to be a part of the conversation. Special programs will include animal exhibits, games about water use, hands-on water filtration experiments and behind-the-scenes tours of the water treatment system of the Aquarium.
More information about Imagine a Day Without Water can be found here: http://imagineadaywithoutwater.org/