Imagine if you turned on the kitchen or shower faucet, or a fire fighter turned on a hose, and nothing happened. Or, what if all the water your family used for drinking or cooking had to be boiled first to eliminate bacteria? Thankfully, in the U.S., water services are generally reliable so we don’t have to worry whether drinking water will be available when we want it. And since water infrastructure is buried underground, unlike roads and bridges, we don’t see the skilled maintenance crews working constantly to keep the water flowing. So, even though we depend on water for our very survival, we tend to take it for granted – until a water main ruptures, a situation that occurs every two minutes somewhere in the country, disrupting service homes and businesses.
We can no longer ignore the fact that our nation’s aging water pipes are in desperate need of repair. In New Jersey alone, 15 percent of the nearly 9,000 miles of underground water infrastructure maintained by New Jersey American Water is nearing the end of its useful life.
That’s why New Jersey American Water has launched a statewide education campaign to bring this important issue to the surface, showcasing the complex treatment, delivery and repair process going on beneath our feet 24/7 to keep drinking water safe and available, and why we all should care about a sound water infrastructure.
To help bring our message to life, we commissioned a 10’ hand-painted floor mural that, when viewed through a camera lens, becomes a lifelike 3D image of a hole in the street with New Jersey American Water “workers” repairing a water main break that could occur on a typical pipeline. It’s engaging, it’s educational, and it’s on display at selected malls and train stations in New Jersey through January.
During the busy holiday shopping season, Santa has been dropping in at several of these locations to encourage shoppers to learn about the value of water, and showing his support for the campaign by posing for photos with the 3D floor graphics – and encouraging others to do the same.
In the spirit of this season of giving, New Jersey American Water will donate $5 to Gov. Chris Christie’s Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund for every photo that is uploaded to our Facebook page, or shared through Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #WeDigNJ.
Make a visit to a New Jersey American Water floor graphic near you and upload your photos. Not only is it fun, it’s for a good cause.
Floor Graphic Locations:
Malls
- Cherry Hill Mall (in front of the Coach store)
- Freehold Raceway Mall (between Vera Bradley, Kay Jewelers and Wetzel’s Pretzels)
- The Outlet Collection/Jersey Gardens Mall (next to Johnny Rockets)
- Moorestown Mall (in front of Kay Jewelers)
- Quakerbridge Mall (near The Cheesecake Factory)
Train Stations
- Irvington
- Trenton
- Newark Penn
- Summit
