Top 10 Water-Related Things to Be Thankful for This Thanksgiving

by Steve Fleischli, Senior Attorney, NRDC, The Huffington Post Green

Family. A job. Good health. Freedom. All these things are certainly worthy of appreciation any time of year. But this Thanksgiving I'm thinking about all the amazing ways in which water makes life better -- ways that are perhaps so fundamental to our everyday existence that many people might rarely give them a second thought. With our clean water laws under assault in Congress, perhaps there is no better time to think about the importance of water to all of us. Here's my Top 10:

1.) Showers: Bathing is definitely something worth being thankful for. Just ask anyone in your general vicinity. It’s also good for your health. And after a long day, a nice warm shower just feels good.

2.) A Favorite Waterway: Whether it means a trip to the beach or a place to boat or fish, local waterways are often the economic and recreational backbones of our communities. There are so many great ones, but Santa Monica Bay remains my personal favorite.

3.) Aquatic Life: The diversity and complexity of aquatic life are simply amazing. Fish and other types of aquatic life also provide much of the world’s food.

4.) Wetlands: Wetlands provide critical habitat, ecological diversity and water filtration, and they serve as spawning and rearing areas for all kinds of life. Wetlands also store water, protect communities from flooding and provide a natural buffer from storm surges.

5.) Toilets: Just imagine life without a toilet. Most American households have one, two or even three. The White House has 35. Yet over 2 billion people on the planet don’t have regular access to toilets or adequate sanitation.

6.) Wastewater Treatment: When you flush the toilet, it all has to go somewhere. In most U.S. cities, it goes to sewage treatment plants. Thankfully, modern wastewater treatment reduces disease and protects our waterways from all that human waste – and lots of industrial waste too. The most advanced treatment plants, like this one, recycle all that water.

7.) The Clean Water Act: The Clean Water Act is the primary law in the U.S. that protects our waterways from pollution. The Clean Water Act makes sure that when we dispose of wastewater, it is treated before it is discharged back to a river or other waterway – often the source of our drinking water or a place for swimming, boating or fishing. Yet the law is under attack in Congress and needs protection of its own.

8.) The Oceans: The world’s oceans cover more than 2/3 of the planet, sustain a dizzying array of aquatic life, help moderate the climate and provide food for billions of people.

9.) Water For Food: Agriculture consumes more water than any other use in America. More water efficient practices are needed in many places, but it is an inescapable fact that your Thanksgiving meal – and every meal, for that matter – wouldn’t be possible without water.

10.) Drinking Water: We literally can’t live for more than a few days without water. But one billion people on the planet don’t have access to clean drinking water. This often results in illness and death.

This list is hardly exhaustive, and nothing about water is to be taken for granted. So as you sit down to dine this Thanksgiving, in addition to all the other things you might be thankful for this year, consider discussing how important water - the most basic of all things - is to you and your family