MWH Joins The Value of Water Coalition

Utilities throughout the country are facing a variety of challenges related to financing needed improvements to maintain water quality and replace aging infrastructure. Consumer engagement and education is an important component of outreach efforts. The average consumer needs to understand why rate hikes and related measures are being undertaken in their local community.

To that end, MWH, along with other leading public and private organizations that are responsible for ensuring the safety, reliability, and sustainability of water, launched The Value of Water Coalition on October 1. The purpose of this coalition is to work together to inform Americans about the value of water and the challenges facing our water infrastructure. The campaign is anchored by the website www.thevalueofwater.org.

The delivery of clean drinking water and the reliable treatment of wastewater are essential for every aspect of our daily lives, homes, workplaces and schools. However, communities across the U.S. are relying on an aging water infrastructure in need of repair or replacement. It is estimated that there is one water main break every two minutes in the United States, and that the nation must invest $1.3 trillion in repairs and upgrades over the next 25 years. Yet the majority of adults incorrectly believe our water infrastructure is in good condition.

To bridge this gap, the Value of Water Campaign will leverage content-generation and social sharing. The website, www.thevalueofwater.org, serves as the campaign’s central hub, aggregating the latest news and information on water-related issues. This information is then distributed through the Value of Water social channels. Also, new content and information about water and water infrastructure in our daily lives will be regularly distributed online through videos, infographics and Slideshare decks. The mainstream U.S. citizen collects news digitally and through social channels, so the hope is that this coalition can take an issue that we all care about and elevate it into the public consciousness in a new way.

Research by the coalition has found that while a majority of U.S. citizens believe clean water is of vital importance to the nation, just 40% of them think the same of water infrastructure, showing the clear disconnect this campaign aims to fix.

This historic effort marks the first time such a broad coalition of water businesses and nonprofit associations has come together as a single voice. The new and evolving Coalition represents city water utilities, non-profit water associations and water services and technology companies, work daily to ensure our homes and workplaces are supplied with clean and safe water for drinking and other uses, and that after its use, this same water is cleaned and made safe again before being discharged into the environment.

Current members of the Value of Water Coalition include American Water, American Water Works Association (AWWA), Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA), CH2M HILL, MWH Global, National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), National Association of Water Companies (NAWC), United Water, U.S. Water Alliance, Veolia Water, Water Environment Federation (WEF) and Xylem Inc.

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