It’s that time of year to once again pause and reflect on the things that we are thankful for.
Many of us will gather with loved ones around the table and give thanks for the people and circumstances that enrich and brighten our lives every day – family and friends, a job, a place to call home, and so on.
But there is something we all appreciate yet often forget to be grateful for – water. It’s something so essential and so often taken for granted. We rarely think twice about its reliability, never doubting that water will always be there when we turn on the faucet. In fact, few of us realize what it takes to treat and deliver water to our homes every day, or how wastewater is carried away from our homes to be cleaned and safely returned to the environment.
It rarely occurs to us that the very things for which we are thankful – our good health, the food on our table, electric power (Yes, electric power!), and even our morning cup of coffee or evening glass of wine – would not exist without water. Water nourishes our body and allows us to live healthy lives. It helps produce food and allows us to cook that food. Our wastewater system protects public health and keeps the environment clean. From hospitals to manufacturers to farmers and firefighters and more – the invaluable, multifaceted purposes and roles of water and why we need it to survive, operate, and thrive is overwhelming.
As we gather with those we love this Thanksgiving season, take a moment to remember water, the backbone of everything for which we are grateful.
Blog contributed by Erica Roberts, Media and Communications Coordinator with Virginia Beach Public Utilities