Hi, I'm writing as a constituent about the massive water affordability crisis we have in the United States:
Safe water is non-negotiable. Access to affordable service is non-negotiable. Clean drinking water is a human right — people should not have to worry about whether their water is safe to drink.
Yet since the 1970s, the federal government has slashed funding for water infrastructure upgrades, putting the health of entire communities in danger, especially children's health.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that at least $744 billion is needed to upgrade our drinking water and wastewater systems over the next 20 years. Nothing short of renewed federal investment in our nation's water systems is going to help us meet this challenge.
The real solution is the Water Affordability, Transparency, Equity and Reliability (or WATER) Act (H.R.1417 and S. 611). The legislation reinvests federal dollars to provide a long-term, sustainable source of funding for safe, clean water. It also provides funding so that states, localities and households can take real action to get per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) out of drinking water.