by: Graham W. Rich, CEO of ReWa

How often do you look at your water bill and think about the valuable services you are paying for? We know you pay it every month, but do you think about how our quality of life would quickly decline if we didn’t have access to clean water and wastewater treatment services? When you pay your bill, we want you to appreciate the valuable services and products you are getting in return for your hard-earned money.

Take a look at your water bill next time you receive one…at the bottom of the page you will find the light blue box with your total amount due. If you are looking at your water bill, you will see our logo as well as Greenville Water’s logo. You may also see a little message from us under Special Announcements. You may be reading that for the first time. You will see water usage rates. You will see things about base charges and volume charges.

And, for once, you may be wondering what this bill you pay each month, actually means.

It gives you clean water. Drinkable water. Water that you drink for hydration, free of contaminants. Water that provides a way to take a shower, flush the toilet, wash clothes and dishes…It also provides wastewater treatment for the water that leaves your home and needs to be cleaned.

Today is World Water Day. This is a day when agencies like us want you to think about the importance of clean water, and every day going forward, having an appreciation for the pristine resources we are so fortunate to have here locally.

The question is how long will this water last? Here are the cold, hard facts:

The world population is growing by approximately 74 million people per year
Scientists are yet to conclusively determine the human ‘carrying capacity’ of Earth
We have consumed more resources in the last 50 years than the whole of humanity before us
The 20th century saw the biggest increase in the world’s population in human history

Humans are extraordinary creatures. We are crafty, irrepressible and adaptable―even maybe a little too adaptable. Humans impact our local environment in two main ways: The consumption of resources such as land, food, water, air, fossil fuels and minerals and creating waste products as a result of consumption such as air and water pollutants, toxic materials and greenhouse gases.

Today humanity uses the equivalent of 1.5 planets to provide the resources we use and absorb our waste. This means it now takes the Earth one year and six months to regenerate what we use in a year.

Here are some of the programs our agency has created to make sure Greenville’s water resources remain clean and usable:

“Be Freshwater Friendly”: This is a campaign to help educate the Upstate on how small changes in our day-to-day actions can have a great impact in our local waters. It runs the gamut from the proper disposal of grease to watering lawns to getting rid of animal waste. Visit befreshwaterfriendly.org.
Project RX: Through the efforts of a coalition spearheaded by ReWa, more than 12,000 lbs. of pharmaceuticals and medical waste that would have been flushed down toilets and sinks was properly disposed of via incineration. Visit ariverremedy.org.
Dig Greenville: This $48 million gravity sewer tunnel will help the infrastructure to keep our region growing for the next 100 years! Visit diggreenville.org.
Tours and presentations to learn more about environmental services! To schedule a tour, email Ashley Rhinehart at ashleyr@re-wa.org.

Hopefully, you are feeling a little bit inspired and maybe want to do more than just pay a water bill each month. Here are some things everyone can do to promote conservation of our water:

Take shorter showers
Say no to single-use plastics (aka- use reusable containers)
Use fewer chemicals to clean
Be savvy about what fertilizers you use on your lawn, and water in the morning so that proper absorption occurs and you consume less water to irrigate
Buy less- you would be surprised at just how little we truly need to survive and prosper

Small changes to daily actions may seem trivial to one person, but if millions around the world begin to do it as well, the difference will begin to add up. With more than 7.3 billion people on our planet, it’s easy to assume that someone else will take care of protecting our environment. The truth is, this issue that affects us all, and as such we’re all responsible for working towards a sustainable future in which everyone is able to enjoy a high quality of life without destroying the very things we rely on to survive. To ensure a sustainable and prosperous future, we must communicate while combining efforts and resources to achieve that vision.

Next time you receive a water bill, take a look at the total amount due and know that you are paying for services that contribute to the high quality of life that we all enjoy. Happy World Water Day from ReWa, your local wastewater treatment provider!