If you live in an area like I do, this whole week has been a washout for you. We had two incredibly nice days given the fact that it is only the end of February, but then nothing but rain to follow. It has resulted in some very upset people who had hoped that it was a sign of more warm weather to come. I will admit, I was hoping for a few more days of sunshine myself. However, I also understand just how important rain is to us all right now. Also, I’d much rather have rain than snow!

Having a large amount of rainfall isn’t always a good thing, especially if there had been precipitation for a while before hand. Right now, we are seeing areas flood due to the high amounts of rainfall and that is always rather terrifying. Something to remember, however, is just how many people don’t have access to water at all. In fact, according to the CDC around 780 million people do not have access to an improved water source, such as pipes or a protected well. About 2.5 billion people lack access to improved sanitation due to their inability to access clean water. When you think about how much water you use in a day, these facts may be shocking.

Thousands of people die every day due to lack of clean water. According to the CDC, “Unsafe drinking water, inadequate availability of water for hygiene, and lack of access to sanitation together contribute to about 88% of deaths from diarrheal diseases”, and a large amount of these deaths are seen in children aged five and under. Statistics like these are why those of us here at Neptune are working every day to help preserve water like the resource that it is. We do all we can to make sure that water is used efficiently, carefully, and sustainably. We know just how incredibly important it is to keep water accessible to those who have it and to help others to get what they need to survive as well.

Access to water is a privilege that many other humans do not have. We like to count ourselves among the lucky ones who are able to try and make a difference to them. When you think of it that way, a few days of rain really aren’t too bad to deal with.