It is strange to understand waste-laden and polluted water as a useful and potentially game-changing resource for sustainable cities. But local and national officials recognizing wastewater for the value it has is an important step towards meeting the health and safety challenges that accompany it. Countries with poor waste management systems, especially those in West Africa, are particularly vulnerable to these growing issues, and the current investment programs to improve their infrastructures are too weak and underfunded to actually create any meaningful change. But ensuring food security and preventing the spread of disease are high-priority issues for many of these countries even if sanitation is not, and combined with the potential that wastewater has to contribute to economies, improving water infrastructure can be packaged as a shiny investment for national governments to take advantage of. This issue in and of itself is a perfect example of how interconnected and interdependent all these facets of society are, and shows how strong the connection is between urban and rural, a relationship that will continue to grow more symbiotic the larger cities become. Given these connections, the holistic strategies (treating the problem as a whole, not as individual parts) mentioned in the new report from Water 2017 are more relevant than ever, and should be considered the best practices for improving water systems around the globe. This is a time sensitive issue; acting fast could save lives and provide a foundation for years of stable food security, and considering the current global attention placed on water and food, the time is now.