Reflections on water’s role in life for “Imagine a Day Without Water”

October 17, 2024

Written by Adam Sodders, IAWA communications specialist.

Water’s essential role in life on earth, everywhere and every day, is common knowledge. Despite its importance to everyday life (or maybe because of it), water can also be easy to take for granted. 

That’s true even for folks whose day jobs revolve around Iowa water quality – and it’s why the

Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance team is participating in Imagine a Day Without Water, a National Day of Action celebrated by the U.S. Water Alliance.

Team Reflection

After some reflection, here’s what the team members had to say: 

Jeff Lucas, Executive Director

“Without water, these family memories would've never been made. Water is the most valuable resource whether it be to water our crops, hydrate our livestock, or provide habitat for the fish we catch. Water is the genesis of all of life.” 

Rebekah Jones, Communications Director

 “Without water, my favorite nature walks in Iowa and beyond would be less beautiful. I wouldn’t have health or happiness, and our family’s crops wouldn’t be able to grow.” 

Adam Sodders, Communications Specialist

 "Besides drinking, cooking and bathing, water is essential for one of my favorite hobbies – fishing. Weirdly, even though I use it every day to live, it's through fishing that I began to care more deeply about the water around me."

Ben Porepp: Conservation Program Coordinator

 “Water is the key to a healthy and sustainable world. Without it there is no food, no fuel and no future.”

Jen Williams, Iowa Soybean Association Research Center for Farming Innovation (RCFI) Research Development Manager

 "Days are just better at a lake. So imagining a day without water makes me appreciate this critical resource even more and inspires me to work harder to protect it...not just for my own lake days, but for everyone's." 

About Imagine a Day Without Water 

Imagine a Day Without Water serves as a National Day of Action to unite communities and policymakers to advance greater and more equitable investment in water systems. With the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2021, which includes over $50 billion dedicated to improving water infrastructure, the time is ripe to advocate for continued, sustainable water infrastructure investment in communities that have lacked adequate resources for far too long. 

In Iowa, there are millions of dollars of public funding for farmers to take action today and every day, by planting cover crops, reducing tillage, installing a wetland, or adding native prairie to their farms. Meanwhile, IAWA is striving to bring as many dollars as possible to Iowa’s farms for conservation. 

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