tap water

By Lynne Peeples Editor’s note: This story is part of a nine-month investigation of drinking water contamination across the U.S. The series is supported by funding from the Park Foundation and Water Foundation. Read the launch story, “Thirsting for Solutions,” here. In late September 2020, officials in Wrangell, Alaska, warned residents who were elderly, pregnant […]

By Scott Faber No candidate for president has ever pledged to make the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS a priority – until now. In his environmental justice plan, President-elect Joe Biden pledged to set enforceable limits for PFAS in drinking water and to designate PFAS as a hazardous substance under the Superfund cleanup law. […]

By Nathaniel Berman As the poet W.H. Auden put it, “Thousands have lived without love, not one without water.” One of the main reasons water is so critical to life processes is that it is the ideal vehicle for transporting critical substances in and out of living cells. “The way they’re bonded together makes water […]

Lester Brown Photo courtesy of Shutterstock Peak oil has generated headlines in recent years, but the real threat to our future is peak water. There are substitutes for oil, but not for water. We can produce food without oil, but not without water. We drink on average four liters of water per day, in one […]

American Rivers By Sharlene Leurig The costs of rebuilding our nation’s water infrastructure are jaw dropping: estimates range from $300 billion to $1 trillion needed over the next 30 years. Add in the cost to develop new water supplies, treatment plants and transmission systems to accommodate growth—$20 billion for new reservoirs and pipelines in North […]