We use water to prepare and cook our food. We wash our dishes and hands, clean our clothes and homes, and flush our toilets with water. We use water for farming and irrigation, manufacturing materials and energy, mining and recreation. Water's availability has dictated the location and survival of civilizations down through the ages. It is impossible to maintain public health and provide food without water.
Water is also essential to the community's qualtiy of life.
Relaxing in a quiet garden or park would not be possible without a reliable water supply. People all over the world flock to lakes, rivers and bays for recreation. This gives water an intangible social value that cannot be measured in monetary terms. The tangible economic value of water is demonstrated by industry and agriculture's need for its use. Economic stability for all sectors of industry and agriculture depends on access to reliable, high quality water.