More than 35 years ago, the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and its members started Drinking Water Week, held annually during the first full week in May. Over the years, it has grown into an event celebrated across the United States and Canada, with the primary focus being to join together water professionals and the communities they serve in recognizing the vital role water plays in our daily lives.
Water is a finite resource. What water there is on the planet today is all the water there ever was and ever will be. The water cycle allows water to move on, above, or below the surface of the Earth in various forms (liquid, vapor, ice). Of all the water on the planet, over 96% is saline, located in our oceans, bays, and seas. That does not leave much freshwater for us to drink!
DRBC's Water Quality Regulations (pdf 885 KB) include standards that protect various uses of the waters of the Delaware River Basin; one of the protected uses is public water supplies after reasonable treatment. This is important because over 15 million people rely on the waters of the Delaware River Basin, which is about 1 in every 20 Americans! Public water supplies are also protected under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) and by various state and local regulations.
While National Drinking Water Week is only celebrated one week of the year, it serves as an important reminder that water is an essential resource and should be protected and conserved. We all can do our part - however big or small - to ensure that there is a sustainable water supply for today's needs, as well as for future generations.
