Poll: Americans Believe Securing Sustainable Water Supplies to Be a National Priority

In conjunction with National Drinking Water Week, the Value of Water Coalition on May 4 released the results of a poll that asked Americans about the importance of water in their lives. The results of the survey paint a stark picture about the role water plays in our lives and the urgent action needed to ensure a safe, reliable water supply for all communities.

More than four out of five Americans said it was important or extremely important to invest in strategies and programs to develop sustainable water supplies. The survey explained that water and wastewater service providers are the primary source for funding water infrastructure, and customers are typically charged relatively small fees for water compared to other household utilities such as electricity, heat, cable or Internet. Surprisingly more than half of respondents agreed that water bills need to increase so water systems can be modernized.

“The results of this survey show that Americans know the truth about water: It is essential, at risk, and worth investing in,” said Radhika Fox, director of the Value of Water Coalition. “During National Drinking Water Week (May 3-9) we want to remind Americans that the infrastructure that brings water to and from their homes and businesses is incredibly valuable, and in need of investment. In many communities, water systems are more than a century old and desperately need to be modernized. What these new national poll findings demonstrate is that Americans fundamentally understand how essential water and wastewater service is to their everyday lives, and they are willing to make the investment to ensure reliability, even if it means that their water bills will increase.”

The survey was commissioned by the Value of Water Coalition and conducted online by Harris Poll between April 9-13, 2015, among 2,023 adults ages 18 and older living in the United States.  The findings include:
•    Eighty two percent of Americans think it is important or extremely important to invest in strategies and programs that develop sustainable water supplies.
•    After explaining that the primary source of funding to modernize and repair water infrastructure is the revenue collected by local water and wastewater providers from their customers, more than half of respondents (56 percent) agreed with the statement “water bills need to increase to repair and modernize water and wastewater infrastructure.”

Millions of Americans are adjusting to life during a historic drought and millions of others live in cities with perilously outdated infrastructure.

The Value of Water Coalition is encouraged by the survey’s results: the public supports the Coalition’s commitment to elevating the importance of investment in water infrastructure and water resources in our national dialogue.