August is National Water Quality Month, an opportunity to appreciate that a lot of work goes into ensuring safe, great tasting tap water is there when we need it.

In all, it is estimated each of us uses at least 80 gallons of water per day for health, hydration or hygiene. The reliability of our tap water flowing on demand from our faucets makes it easy to overlook the work that goes into the water’s journey.

The journey varies by location, but in short, utilities collect precipitation, transport it from source of supply to treatment facilities where it is cleaned before being distributed to our homes for consumption.

In some places this happens over a span of many miles, requiring hundreds of miles of pipe and other infrastructure, while other water systems accomplish this feat in a simpler fashion.

This month, we encourage you to get better acquainted with your water provider and the impressive journey your tap water takes before it reaches your home’s faucet.

For those of us fortunate enough to have access to clean, reliable drinking water, let’s raise a glass during National Water Quality Month to all that it takes to fill one.