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Water Puts America to Work

Investment in Water Infrastructure Creates Jobs, Drives Innovation, and Safeguards Public Health

During this partisan election season, a rare opportunity exists to stand together to support a truly bipartisan cause that affects every American –  that cause is the desperate need to invest in our nation’s crumbling water infrastructure.  The widespread deterioration of America’s water and wastewater infrastructure is reaching a critical stage.  With this crisis comes incredible opportunity - forty years of data, experience and expert studies undeniably demonstrate that investing in water infrastructure creates jobs and boosts the nation’s economy.  If we fail to invest in water infrastructure, we do so at our own peril.  Congress and the President must make investment in water infrastructure a national priority.   Voters need to ask elected officials and political candidates what they intend to do to address these needs and ask our leaders to commit to making water investment a top priority. 

The Water Environment Federation (WEF) and several WEF Member Associations have launched an aggressive outreach effort to get water infrastructure investment discussed on par with other essential infrastructure this election season. A clean and abundant water supply is essential to prosperity and enables communities to attract and retain industry, businesses and qualified workers, the drivers for real economic recovery.  Investment in water infrastructure means jobs for Americans – jobs directly tied to the construction of water facilities and the manufacturing of equipment and materials needed for that construction, jobs that are created when these new facilities spark investment and redevelopment in waterfronts, business parks, and other areas, jobs in agriculture and manufacturing that need water to produce products for America and the world, and jobs that are created when spending on water infrastructure drives research and innovation leading to new technologies that can be used in the US and around the world. 

National Party Platforms

As a result of this campaign, the 2012 Republican and Democratic National Platforms include water infrastructure investment language and reference the positive impact on job creation, economic growth, and health. See the GOP Platform, We Believe in America, at http://www.scribd.com/doc/104221532/2012-Gop-Platform (pages 1 and 5) and the Democratic Platform, Moving America Forward, at http://assets.dstatic.org/dnc-platform/2012-National-Platform.pdf (pages 40-41, 34, and 49).

Messaging Campaign

All outreach will focus on the following:

• Core Message:  Investment in Water Infrastructure Creates Jobs, Drives Innovation, and Safeguards Public Health
• Mission Statement/Call for Support: Water4Jobs is a campaign to send a clear message that investment in water infrastructure means jobs and should be a priority issue for voters in November’s election.  Effective political leadership and a clear commitment to invest in water infrastructure are long overdue.   It is not a Democratic or Republican issue; it is an American issue.  Congress and the President must make investment in water infrastructure a national priority.
• Supporting Statement: Investment in water infrastructure is an investment in America – it creates high-quality jobs to repair, replace and upgrade our aging drinking water, wastewater and other water-related systems; it is essential to economic vitality and spurs economic growth by ensuring safe and reliable water and wastewater systems to attract and retain industry, business and qualified workers; it is critical to protect public health and our quality of life; and it drives research and innovation in new water technologies to be used in the US and around the world. 

We will deliver this message to as many key audiences as possible using all effective methods of communication including social media.  Op-Ed articles will be placed in major newspapers in swing states prior to the Debates.  Social media will be used throughout the campaign particularly during the presidential and vice-presidential debates.

If you have any questions about this messaging campaign, please contact Tim Williams  or Amanda Waters.