2005 City of Cleveland, Ohio Division of Water

Lake Erie

Drinking Water Origins

The Value Of Drinking Water

Protecting Your Family From Lead Hazards

Water Contents

Defining Drinking Water Standards

Special Situations

How To Reach Us

What Is The Value Of Drinking Water?

Most people would agree that drinking water is essential to life and is valuable. However, because water is readily accessible and inexpensive we often take it for granted, thus diminishing its value; but a lot more goes into defining the value of water than the price.

Defining water's value is not easy because it means different things to different people. For example, some people equate price to value. Since a diamond is expensive, it has high value. On the other hand, if a person is stranded in the desert, a glass of water is priceless. As your water supplier, three key factors help us define the value of water:

Quality - Safe drinking water protects public health, sustains life and has healing powers.
Availability - Water is unlimited and available upon demand.
Multiple uses - Water is used for cooking, irrigation, ecology, sanitation, beautification, electrical power and recreation.

Drinking water costs less than buying other natural resources such as dirt, gravel, plants, trees, natural gas or gasoline.

In Cleveland, a gallon of tap water costs less than a penny. Purifying water and getting it to you straight from the tap, is how we achieve our goals. So remember, a lot more goes into defining the value of water than just the price.

Cleveland Division of Water - What is the Value of Drinking Water?