A water trust fund proposed in Congress would safeguard our national water supply and maintain it in the public trust.
Most U.S. citizens recognize that clean and safe water is a basic service that the government should provide for the public good. But if Congress doesn’t take proactive steps to protect the reliable water system built in this country nearly 100 years ago, we’re going to be faced with the breakdown of our water systems.
Because the nation faces a water infrastructure funding gap of hundreds of billions of dollars over the next 20 years, the federal government should establish this fund. If it doesn’t, we risk losing the 30 years of water quality progress enjoyed under the Clean Water Act.
New report:
“ALL DRIED UP: How Clean Water is Threatened by Budget Cuts” 
[697 KB] lays out the effect that cuts to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund will have on every state. In addition to detailing how much federal assistance states stand to lose, the report estimates how many jobs the lost funding could have created, identifies projects that likely will not move forward, and provides the percentage of impaired waters, number of beach closures, and major causes of water pollution in each state. The report is sponsored by a broad coalition that includes state and local governments, labor, construction, and environmental and public health groups.
In the news:
March 3, 2005: Americans overwhelmingly support federal fund to guarantee clean and safe water [50 KB]
