Imagine the unimaginable.
Sanitation District No. 1 (SD1) and the Northern Kentucky Water District (NKWD) will join a national Imagine a Day Without Water education and advocacy campaign on October 19 to drive home the importance of clean water in our community.
SD1 and NKWD work around the clock, 365 days a year to ensure Northern Kentuckians never have to actually experience a day without clean water, and they’re once again joining over 1,000 organizations across the country to raise awareness about the role of water infrastructure in our lives and the importance of investment in these critical services. Imagine a Day Without Water is led by the U.S. Water Alliance’s Value of Water Campaign.
This year’s event will focus on the significance of water in daily life and inspire curiosity about the people, infrastructure and funding that keep the water running in our communities. SD1 and NKWD work across Northern Kentucky to keep local waterways clean and healthy.
Sanitation District No. 1
“SD1 has been serving the Northern Kentucky community for more than 75 years,” SD1 Executive Director Adam Chaney said. “We treat about 35 million gallons of wastewater every single day. That’s enough water to fill 71 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Imagine what our community would be like without that service.”
Wastewater contains a variety of pollutants, including human waste, food scraps and chemicals. Without wastewater treatment, these pollutants would end up in our waterways, causing serious environmental and health problems.
SD1’s wastewater treatment process removes these pollutants and transforms the wastewater into water that is safe to discharge back into the Ohio River. This process takes up to 30 hours and involves a variety of biological and chemical processes. SD1 also collects and treats millions of gallons of wastewater from our community’s schools, hospitals and industries.
Over the next two decades, SD1 is investing nearly a billion dollars in innovative wastewater and stormwater management solutions.
“Our Clean H2O40 program balances the need to keep local waterways clean and safe with the need to provide affordable services in Northern Kentucky,” said Chaney. “That balance is at the heart of our commitment to making our community a better place in which to live, work and play.”
Northern Kentucky Water District
The Northern Kentucky Water District serves nearly 300,000 people in Campbell, Kenton and portions of Boone, Grant and Pendleton Counties.
With a service area of nearly 300 square miles with approximately 1,325 miles of water main, NKWD is the largest water district in Kentucky and is the Commonwealth’s third largest water provider. NKWD operates from its headquarters in Erlanger and its three water treatment plants in Fort Thomas, Taylor Mill, and Newport, with a combined treatment capacity of 64 million gallons of water per day. NKWD’s system includes 13 pump stations and 19 water storage tanks.
“Our team works day and night to ensure that our community members have a safe, clean and reliable water supply,” said Lindsey Rechtin, president/CEO of NKWD. “We are very intentional in investing in our system and not taking it for granted.”
NKWD recently completed a reservoir restoration project at their Fort Thomas Treatment Plant, which increased their water storage capacity by approximately 24 million gallons and is set to start on their Memorial Parkway Treatment Plant reservoirs next month.
“Our reservoirs provide significant raw water storage and can be used in an emergency if we needed to shut off our intakes from the Ohio River,” noted Rechtin. “We are fortunate to have these assets available to us and for the benefits they provide to our customers.”
Imagine a Day Without Water was envisioned as an advocacy and education day that asks Americans to think about what it would mean to go without water for a day. There are already 2 million Americans living without water service, and with the stress of climate change and the challenges of maintaining water infrastructure that is a century old in some places, there is growing concern about the stability of water supplies and services.
“We’re grateful to SD1 and NKWD for being a part of this year’s Imagine a Day Without Water,” said Oluwole (OJ) McFoy, board chair of the US Water Alliance. “Raising awareness about the state of water infrastructure is a crucial step to ensuring water systems keep flowing for generations to come. Even though we cannot see the pipes and sewers beneath our feet, water cannot be taken for granted. High-quality water service is a critical part of every thriving community. Today, we encourage everyone to take a minute to learn more about their local water system, where their drinking water comes from and where their wastewater goes.”
Learn more at imagineadaywithoutwater.org and follow the conversation on social media at #ValueWater.
Sanitation District No. 1
