Whether you’re making coffee in the morning, brushing your teeth, or filling up your kids’ water bottles, we all want to be confident that the water flowing from our faucets is safe.
But the water sources for too many Americans are contaminated or at risk:
- A recent news story raised concern about toxins in drinking water supplies and possible links to cancer.
- Los Angeles residents have been cautioned to not drink the water following the catastrophic fires.
- Toxic algae outbreaks – fueled by polluted runoff – have shut down water supplies in places like Toledo, Ohio, and also make playing in rivers and lakes potentially deadly for pets and wildlife.
- Asheville, North Carolina residents were without clean drinking water for nearly two months following Hurricane Helene.
Our nation may be divided on a lot of issues, but one thing we can all agree on is that clean water is a human right and a basic need. No matter who you are or where you live, we all need clean, safe, reliable drinking water. And most of our water comes from rivers.
The affiliate of American Rivers, the American Rivers Action Fund, has been conducting public opinion research to understand how people think about water. The findings show that concerns and support for clean water cuts across party lines and demographics.
The main takeaway? Water is a unifying issue that can bridge divides and bring us together around urgently needed solutions for our rivers and communities.
Voters agree. In 2024, all 23 water-related ballot measures across the country passed, safeguarding clean water for millions.
But we have a lot more work to do.
We must continue investing in river protection and smart water infrastructure to improve water quality and reliability for all Americans. Not only is this good for our health and safety, but investing in clean water creates jobs and stimulates the economy.
In addition, decision-makers must resist efforts by polluters to unravel longstanding, common-sense clean water protections. That’s because prioritizing polluter profits over our clean water will compromise the health of our families and make regular people shoulder the costs.
Pollution isn’t patriotic. Every American deserves clean water and healthy rivers. American Rivers is building a bigger, more inclusive effort for our water and rivers. We hope you will join us.
Ask Congress to support our clean water blueprint
America cannot be a world leader if we don’t take care of our water. Congress to support this common sense blueprint for keeping America's rivers safe and our water clean.
