Clean Water
Having access to clean, safe and affordable drinking water regardless of race, income or zip code is a human right. However, far too many people still worry if their tap water is contaminated with lead, arsenic, PFAS and forever chemicals, and other hazardous substances that put the lives and health of them and their families at risk.
The Clean Water Act is one of the country’s most successful environmental laws, improving our water quality while the country has enjoyed enormous population and economic growth. However, despite this progress, too many communities, especially low-income communities and Black, Indigenous, and communities of color, still lack access to clean water. Polluters have continuously attempted to undermine the landmark law’s successes through court challenges and congressional and executive branch actions. In May 2023, in one of the most dangerous threats to the law to date, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of polluters in the case of Sackett vs. EPA. This decision severely undermined the Clean Water Act by removing federal safeguards for critical waters and wetlands that have long protected our communities from flooding and have filtered our drinking water.