DAYTON — Imagine a day without water.

No water to take a shower, brush your teeth, or brew a cup of coffee to start your day. No water to flush the toilet. No water for firefighters to put out fires, farmers to water their crops or doctors to wash their hands before treating you.

A day without water is nothing short of a crisis. We’ve seen it play out across the country. Flooding and other natural disasters have knocked out water services in Houston, Florida, Puerto Rico and beyond. Lead-contaminated water paralyzed Flint, Michigan.

That’s why MCD is joining with elected officials, water utilities, community leaders and businesses to promote the third annual Imagine A Day Without Water Oct. 12. The event is a nationwide day of education and advocacy to raise awareness of the value of water.

“It’s easy to take water for granted, says Mike Ekberg, MCD manager for water monitoring and analysis. “You turn on the faucet, and water flows from the tap. And in this region, we’re fortunate to have an aquifer with about 1.5 trillion gallons of good, clean groundwater for drinking.”

But we can’t be complacent. Communities rely on abundant, clean water to thrive and to keep our economy strong.

“Whether it’s for drinking, industry, agriculture or recreation, all of us want and need good quality water,” Ekberg said.

Water is used in many products. You might be surprised to know just how much:

• It takes 19 gallons of water to grow a single apple.

• It takes 32 gallons of water to produce a glass of wine.

• It takes 1,230 gallons of water to produce one steak.

• It takes 1,800 gallons of water to grow enough cotton to produce a pair of jeans.

MCD is the region’s leader in water resources.

“Through our work in protecting the region from flooding, monitoring water quality and quantity, and promoting our rivers as the great playgrounds they are, we know how important water is,” said Janet Bly, MCD general manager. “That’s why we joined this effort to help everyone think about and appreciate the value of water.”