The water access gap carries a very real price tag. According to research from DigDeep, which my organization assisted with, every year the water access gap remains open, the U.S. economy loses $8.58 billion. The report notes, "Each household without access to running water or basic plumbing costs the U.S. economy $15,800 per year in health care costs, time spent collecting and paying for bottled water, loss of time at work or at school, and premature death. Low-income families and their communities bear most of these costs. Every year, the water access gap causes 219,000 cases of waterborne illness and 71,000 cases of mental illness; it costs us 68.7 million work hours and an estimated 610 lives."