Across the globe, communities struggle with wide-scale water insecurity, leaving approximately 2 billion people without access to safe drinking water.  The U.S. is fortunate to have public water systems that supply 90 percent of the population with drinking water, according to the CDC.  These systems are subject to safety standards, enforced by the EPA and the Safe Drinking Water Act, making them among the safest in the world; however, the U.S. Water Alliance reports that, “more than two million Americans live without running water and basic indoor plumbing,” and another 44 million Americans "are served by water systems that recently had health-based Safe Drinking Water Act violations.”[i]

Water safety concerns are not isolated to a particular region of the country. High profile incidents such as the Flint, Michigan crisis in 2014 generate elevated attention and concern, but other cities such as Newark, New Jersey, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. have also experienced lead contamination crises.  The likelihood of similar catastrophes occurring is high as there are approximately 9.2 million lead pipes servicing homes throughout the country, according to a report conducted by the EPA in 2021.  Florida topped the list with over 1.16 million lead pipes, followed by Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and New York.[ii]

In addition to lead, other contaminants such as arsenic, uranium, nitrates, E. coli and PFAs, or “forever chemicals,” threaten safe drinking water.  The EPA explains PFAs as “widely used, long-lasting chemicals, components of which break down very slowly over time…found in many different consumer commercial and industrial products…that may be linked to harmful health effects in humans and animals.”[iii]  

While the EPA has regulations to safeguard against pathogens in drinking water, there are regular occurrences of water contamination, many due in part to aging infrastructure.  To address growing concerns related to PFAs, the EPA proposed the National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) in March of this year which would set standards for PFAs.  Although there are thousands of PFA chemicals, water systems would be required to monitor and report any levels that rise above the established standard for six specific PFAs.  The EPA expects the proposed regulation to be finalized by the end of 2023. 

Although regulations are meant to safeguard water, large swaths of the country will still be at risk due to the size of the financial commitment necessary to effectuate change.  67 percent of water systems in the U.S. serve less than 500 people, often in rural communities, where water quality is impacted by not only by common pollutants but also by agricultural waste.  These communities lack the financial resources to build and operate water treatment systems capable of ensuring safe water.  While the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocates billions for drinking water infrastructure upgrades and lead line replacement, estimates place the actual cost far above current commitments highlighting the importance of long-term financial investment to truly guarantee safe

[i] Roller, Zoë. “Closing the Water Access Gap in the United States - A National Action Plan.” US Water Alliance, 2019, uswateralliance.org/sites/uswateralliance.org/files/publications/Closing%20the%20Water%20Access%20Gap%20in%20the%20
United%20States_DIGITAL.pdf.

[ii] EPA. “7th Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment - April 2023.” EPA.Gov, Apr. 2023, www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2023-04/Final_DWINSA%20Public%20Factsheet%204.4.23.pdf.

[iii] EPA. “PFAs Explained.” EPA.Gov, Apr. 2023, www.epa.gov/pfas/pfas-explained.