In celebration of Drinking Water Week taking place from May 7-13, 2023, MWRA joins the American Water Works Association and water professionals across North America in recognizing the vital role water plays in everyday life for both water professionals and the communities they serve. By observing Drinking Water Week, we invite the public to learn about the how truly vital clean, safe water is in daily life and its role in protecting public health and the environment now and in the future.
To commemorate the week, water utilities, water organizations, government entities, environmental advocates, schools and others throughout North America and beyond are encouraging consumers to learn more about the importance of water services and water infrastructure, especially in times of crisis.“Access to clean, safe drinking water is vital to our daily health, hygiene and hydration," said American Water Works Association CEO David LaFrance. "Professionals in the water sector work tirelessly to ensure we have affordable access to the high-quality water we need to strengthen our everyday life and broader communities today and in the future."
Our water professionals work around the clock all year to ensure that we stay true to our mission statementand maintain the infrastructure to deliver "fresh at the source" water from the Quabbin. This infrastructure is a critical part of our daily life, which protects public health, helps public works projects, supports the economy and generally provide everyday conveniences— to ensure tap water is there when you need it. The creation of and preparation for the preliminary design and environmental review stage of the Metropolitan Water Tunnel Program ensures this infrastructure redundancy. Recently, the MWRA reviewed the results of two studies on the feasibility of adding additional communities to the north and south of the agency’s water system. With system expansion and the focus on infrastructure, the ability to serve additional communities by supplying drinking water from its system without jeopardizing these important resources becomes greater. The passage of the U.S. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provides extra funding necessary to prioritize updating systems around the country, helps potential expansion of our system, as well as demonstrates the vital role water plays in protecting public health every day.
AWWA has put together a resource page with free downloadable materials (available in both English and Spanish) such as children's activity sheets, an artwork contest, radio PSA's and more, that can be found here.
MWRA communuties are fortunate to have access to safe, reliable water and finding information about local water is simple. As required by the Safe Drinking Water Act, water utilities must provide customers with an annual water quality report, also called a Consumer Confidence Report. A CCR identifies the quality of local drinking water and if any contaminants are detected and if so, which ones. Also available in the report is information on each community’s local source for drinking water.
MWRA sends CCRs to all households and businesses in its service area every year. Look for the latest report, with 2022 data coming this June. MWRA tests drinking water every step of the way and the results are posted online.
More information about local water sources is available on DrinkTap.org.
About Drinking Water Week
For several decades, AWWA and its members have celebrated Drinking Water Week, a unique opportunity for both water professionals and the communities they serve to join together in recognizing the vital role water plays in daily lives. Free materials for download and additional information about Drinking Water Week are available on the Drinking Water Week webpage.
About AWWA
Established in 1881, the American Water Works Association is the largest nonprofit, scientific and educational association dedicated to managing and treating water, the world’s most important resource. With approximately 50,000 members, AWWA provides solutions to improve public health, protect the environment, strengthen the economy and enhance our quality of life.
