The fourth annual Imagine a Day Without Water campaign took place Oct. 10. The national effort raises awareness, educates communities, and calls for investment in our nation’s water infrastructure.

More than 1,000 elected officials, water utilities, community leaders, educators and businesses participated in Imagine a Day Without Water, highlighting the crucial need to invest in and value water. This marks the most participants in Imagine a Day Without Water to date.

“We are excited and encouraged that hundreds of participants have signed up for Imagine a Day Without Water. A day without water is a public health crisis, a safety issue, a drag on our economy: a day without water is a catastrophe,” says Radhika Fox, CEO of the US Water Alliance and director of the Value of Water campaign. “Rebuilding and modernizing our water infrastructure systems won't be cheap, but it is necessary. Americans know this needs to be a priority, now we need leadership with political courage to get it done.”

Investing in drinking water and wastewater systems alike is a critical need that can no longer be ignored, says Fox. Water infrastructure across the country is aging and in dire need of updates. Population fluctuations, increasingly erratic weather patterns and years of under-funding repairs are stressing the nation’s water infrastructure.

Water-related challenges affect our lives every day, ranging from stormwater management to drought, water main breaks to contaminants in drinking water. While these challenges may differ from town to town, and from region to region, the need to invest in water infrastructure is consistent across the country. The overwhelming majority of Americans agree: 88 percent support increasing federal investment to rebuild our water infrastructure, and 78 percent say it is extremely or very important for the president and congress to develop a plan to rebuild our water infrastructure (see poll findings here).

In a few weeks, voters will make decisions on all 435 seats in the House of Representatives, 35 Senate seats, 36 gubernatorial offices, and countless state legislative and local races. Everyone has a stake in water infrastructure, since everyone relies on water every day, according to Fox.

For Imagine a Day Without Water, the Value of Water campaign encourages everyone to ask their representatives what their water infrastructure plans are so no American has to live or imagine a day without water again.