Clean Water For America

America's waterways should be safe for swimming, fishing and drinking, but they can’t be without our protection.

boy drinking glass of water
beerphotographer | Adobe Stock

Inadequate protections and lax enforcement leave far too many of our rivers, lakes and streams vulnerable to pollution. The result: Millions of Americans have become sick after recreating in contaminated waters, areas of the Chesapeake Bay and the Great Lakes have dead zones which no longer support aquatic life, and thousands of incidents of illegal pollution have gone unpunished.

This pollution can put the drinking water for millions of Americans at risk. To make matters worse, our drinking water frequently travels through pipes and fixtures that contain lead, a potent neurotoxin, which threatens healthy brain development. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 24 million children are at risk from lead contamination.

Together we can keep our water clean and our communities healthy by strengthening, not weakening, clean water laws, tightening pollution permits, holding polluters accountable when they violate the law, and making investments that ensure no child is drinking water contaminated by lead or other toxics.

What You Can Do

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Team
Emily
Scarr

Emily
Scarr

State Director, Maryland PIRG; Director, Stop Toxic PFAS Campaign, PIRG

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