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WASHINGTON DC – A new report from leading global water technology company Xylem, Solving Water in Rural America: A Xylem Report, sheds light on the increasing challenges rural communities across the United States face related to limited water access and poor water quality. The report presents the full scope of the rural water crisis, outlining the contributing regional, regulatory and environmental factors that have advanced these water challenges, as well as the tangible steps individuals, government bodies and organizations can take to address this crisis.
“Releasing this report is crucial in our efforts to raise awareness about the pressing water challenges affecting families and individuals across our country every day,” said Xylem’s Susan O’Grady. “Access to safe and reliable water is a fundamental human right, and yet more than two million Americans are still living without this basic necessity. This report is a stepping stone to show how smart, collaborative efforts can begin to address the scope of the rural water crisis, beginning with an understanding of the larger regional, legislative and technological issues at play.”
Complex Variables
Living in rural areas poses significant challenges in overcoming water issues due to socioeconomic disparities, aging infrastructure and natural disasters, with affected individuals often experiencing poor health outcomes and economic strain on the communities they live in as a result. Solving Water in Rural America: A Xylem Report shows how lack of access to safe water coupled with these complex environmental and socioeconomic variables has perpetuated a downward cycle in quality of life that can only be reconciled through ongoing education, awareness and action.
“We need to move from a system where we rely on disasters and people losing access to water and having their health, their lives and their economic safety massively impacted to a more proactive model where we are making folks aware of and managing water issues,” said George McGraw, founder and CEO of Dig Deep in the report. “As the approach of supplying clean water access to rural communities will differ depending on location, scale and needs, decentralized technology is going to be a silver bullet for a lot of these rural communities going forward.”
Collaboration is Key
While public and private progress has been made, solving the rural water crisis requires a multifaceted and individualized approach. Solving Water in Rural America: A Xylem Report highlights some of the strides Xylem and key partners have taken to aid in water access efforts across the country, as well as the importance of collaboration across all facets of the water sector, including increased investment in water infrastructure, expanding access to financing for rural water systems, implementing smart water technology, establishing public-private partnerships and raising awareness around the importance of safe, reliable drinking water for rural communities.
To download the full report, visit www.xylem.com/en-us/campaigns/solving-water-in-rural-america/.