The US Water Alliance is proud to stand with 200 (and counting!) organizations to endorse a set of guiding principles for how the nation can recover from COVID-19 in a way that prioritizes a secure water future for all. These organizations represent diverse voices from across the country: leading water utilities, community organizations, environmental groups, business, labor, and others all are coming together in the midst of a national emergency to highlight the places we can all agree.
During this moment of crisis, these principles knit together enduring water issues critical at this time: who has access to it, who manages it, how it is paid for, and how all communities are kept safe and healthy.
COVID-19 Relief and Recovery: Guiding Principles to Secure our Water Future is a clarion call to all stakeholders to:
- Ensure water is reliable and affordable for all
- Strengthen water utilities of all sizes
- Close the water access gap
- Fuel economic recovery by investing in water systems
In moments of crisis, unity and attending to the whole is more important than ever. One Water reflects the interconnectedness between all aspects of water management, and while many are rightly pushing to fill specific needs, we must also think holistically and make essential connections clear and central.
Water connects us all. There is responsibility at every level of government-local, state, and federal-to secure our water future. This is an important moment for the United States to commit to a future where everyone can count on reliable and safe water service-now and for future generations.
That’s why the narratives we choose to advance in this moment need to reflect the complexity on the ground and the relationships between the challenges and solutions we face. The Alliance is grateful to the many supporting organizations who are using these principles to write articles, build out advocacy platforms, and educate partners, staff, and policymakers on the water challenges COVID-19 brings to the fore.
Many of you—working for utilities or front-line community organizations—are tending to life-sustaining needs. We, the One Water network, are deeply grateful and look forward meeting you again in person in the (hopefully) not too distant future.
