It is hard to imagine life without water for bathing, cooking, cleaning up—and even enjoying an occasional beer. That is the point that askHRgreen.org wants to convey by inviting Hampton Roads breweries to participate in the annual “Imagine a Day Without Water” awareness event, October 20.  

The day is part of a national advocacy and awareness promotion that addresses the importance of maintaining the water and wastewater systems that bring a steady flow of water to and from residents, businesses, schools, hospitals, and emergency outlets.

Establishments that sign on to the local “Imagine a Day Without Water” campaign at www.askHRgreen.org/withoutwater/ will receive free specially branded pint glass sleeves and coasters to distribute to patrons during this special event. In addition, they will be featured on the askHRgreen.org website via an online map with pins for all participating businesses.

“From brewing your favorite craft beer to washing laundry and brushing your teeth, water is the foundation of our quality of life in Hampton Roads,” said Katie Cullipher, an askHRgreen.org team leader. “This is a light way to get across a serious message—that we shouldn’t take water for granted.”

Collecting, storing, treating, and bringing water to and from homes and commercial enterprises is the job of the region’s municipal utilities and HRSD. As a region, these public water systems are supported by 12 drinking water treatment plants with over 50 wells and 21 reservoirs storing over 34 billion gallons of water. Once all this water is used, more than 1,500 pump stations carry sewage to the 10 wastewater treatment plants across the region. These two systems keep the region’s 17 cities and counties humming, from hotels to hospitals, factories to power plants, and carwashes to aquariums.

“While our region’s water and wastewater systems may be out of sight, they should not be out of mind,” Cullipher said. “They work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to bring clean water to us and take sewage away to be treated before it is released safely back into the environment.”

The list of participating breweries, and a sign-up area for businesses that want to register, is available at https://askhrgreen.org/withoutwater/. In addition to frequenting one of these businesses on October 20, Hampton Roads residents can adopt these smart water use tips: 

• Use water wisely at home by: 
  • Checking for leaky faucets and toilets
  • Turning off the faucet when brushing your teeth
  • Washing only full loads of dishes and laundry
  • Taking shorter showers
  • Flushing only your personal business down the toilet to avoid backups (no wipes, paper towels, cat litter, hygiene products)
  • Keep local waterways clean by:
    • Picking up after your pet
    • Not over fertilizing your lawn
    • Not feeding ducks, geese or other waterfowl
    • Pumping out your boats at an approved pump out station

For more tips on all things green in Hampton Roads, visit www.askHRgreen.org