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Imagine a Day Without Water

Expert BlogUnited States, InternationalJoan Leary Matthews
This finite resource has been endlessly squandered, mismanaged, and poisoned.

Raising Shasta Dam Is an Even Worse Idea Than We Knew

Expert BlogCaliforniaDoug Obegi
The Trump Administration’s efforts to enlarge Shasta Dam was always a bad idea. In addition to being illegal under California law, it’s been clear for years that raising the height of the dam would destroy Native American sacred sites, harm…

How Can I Find Out If I Have a Lead Service Line?

Expert BlogErik D. Olson
Most of our household plumbing contains some amount of lead, whether in faucets, fittings, lead solder, or lead pipes, but lead service lines present the largest source and risk of lead in drinking water.

Can I Use Water Sampling to Identify a Lead Service Line?

Expert BlogUnited StatesErik D. Olson

If you are trying to find out if you have a lead service line and you are comfortable with uncertainty and do not want to dig up your yard, water sampling can provide an alternative but less conclusive approach for…

Newsom Signs Law to Clean Air Inside and Out of School

Expert BlogMerrian Borgeson, Max Baumhefner
Governor Newsom just signed a bill that will to make the air safer to breathe and the water safer to drink in public schools, while reducing energy bills. It also accelerates the installation of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles needed…

New York: Protect People from Water Shutoffs During COVID-19

Expert BlogJoan Leary Matthews, Larry Levine
Over the summer, New York State did the right thing for utility customers feeling the severe economic downturn during the pandemic. The state adopted legislation (Laws of 2020, Chapters 108 and 126) requiring all utilities—water, gas, electric, telephone—to stop shutting…

Congress & States Must Protect Water Access During COVID-19

Expert BlogLarry Levine
Congress and the states must act to prevent a tsunami of water shutoffs during the COVID-19 pandemic, as many state water shutoff moratoria expire. And most have states never offered that protection at all.

NYS to Cut PFOA/PFOS "Forever Chemicals" from Drinking Water

Expert BlogNew York, United StatesEric A. Goldstein

Public water suppliers across New York State will be required to test for and ultimately slash harmful levels of the synthetic organic chemicals PFOA and PFOS in drinking water, according to new rules just adopted by State Health officials.

Let's Protect Millions of Kids from Lead-Tainted Water!

Expert BlogUnited StatesErik D. Olson
Millions of kids drink water from lead service lines—it's like drinking from a lead straw! The House of Representatives could provide $22.5 billion to fund removal of these pipes through the Tlaib/Kildee/Slotkin Amendment to the Moving Forward Act (H.R.2).

Beyond COVID-19: Tackling Water Challenges in Chile & Mexico

Expert BlogAmanda Maxwell
Millions in Latin America are grappling with COVID-19 without access to clean water to wash their hands and prevent infection, as recommended by the World Health Organization. In Chile, 42.5 percent of the rural population—a total of one million people—does…