by Laura Kamienski, ECWSA Office
Administration
We’ve all seen smiley faces in e-mails, texts and
on social media. These silly emoticons provide us with a way to share feelings
in an otherwise expressionless
medium. So much so, that there are now various emoticon series, from Snoopycons
to an app that lets you make yourself into a cartoon emoticon.
So what do emoticons have to do
with water and sewer?
Conceived and developed by
WaterAid, Poop Emoji’s are a fun way to draw attention to a not so fun problem.
and environmental
sustainability, and it costs the world’s poorest countries
260 billion dollars every year. It's the lack of a basic human right.” It’s the
lack of access to clean water and toilets.
WaterAid is a nonprofit
organization dedicated exclusively to providing clean water, toilets and
hygiene education to the world's poorest communities. Since 2004, WaterAid has
helped more than 21 million people gain access to toilets and sanitary
facilities.
As Americans we sometimes take for granted what others
in the world don’t have. You probably use
it every morning without a second thought, and it’s impossible to imagine life
without it. But, clean
water and sanitation is not just a convenience. It’s a matter of life and
death!
I recently took a phone call from a customer who
wanted to thank us for doing a great job. She said that she had picked up our
last newsletter and read the article Expenseof Operating Water/Wastewater Treatment Plants. She told me that she had
no idea how much was involved in supplying clean water and sanitation. What a
nice compliment!
Water scarcity and sanitation
is an abstract concept to many and a stark reality for others. It is the result
of a myriad of environmental, political, economic and social forces. “According
to the World Health Organization, the lack of clean water and sanitation is
both a massive health issue.
Diarrheal disease, for example, is the second leading cause of death among
children under 5, claiming about 760,000 lives every year. It can be contracted
through contaminated food and drinking water, but can be easily thwarted
through improved sanitation and hygiene methods. The United States operates close to 100 million flush toilets averaging 15-19 liters of freshwater per flush, as a means to transport human excreta.
There are at
least 2.6 billion people in the world without improved sanitation. Around $260 is lost every year because of preventable illnesses
linked to a lack of clean water, taps and toilets – that’s nearly double the
amount given in overseas development aid. If more was invested in sanitation,
people and environments would be healthier, and struggling economies could do
better. (1)
On February 2nd, 2015 the Evans City Water and Sewer Authority began operation of our new waste water treatment plant. (ECWTTP) The ECWTTP, which cost nearly ten
million dollars to build, was the result of a mandate from the Department of Environmental Protection.
The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is the agency in Pennsylvania responsible for protecting and
preserving the land, air, water, and public health through enforcement of the
state's environmental laws.
The DEP keeps us safe by insuring that
our sanitation and water systems are functioning properly. So, while the
increased costs to our customers might seem high, they not only contribute to
paying for the new sewer plant; they also insure our health and safety and the health
and safety of our local environment.
Ban Ki-moon, U.N. secretary
general said in a statement. “By working together, and by having an open and
frank discussion on the importance of toilets and sanitation, we can
improve the health and well-being of
one-third of the human family.” (2)
WaterAid’s goal is to stimulate just such discussions.
So, while these funny little emoticons may make us giggle, their real job isn’t
silly. 