Clean water
If we want a greener, healthier world we need to protect our rivers, lakes and streams.
Clean water is vital to ecosystems, to our health, and our quality of life. But too many of our rivers, lakes and streams are vulnerable to pollution. This pollution, along with outdated infrastructure – like lead pipes in our schools – puts our health at risk. We need to work together to protect our waters.
The Latest on Clean water
Protect the Boundary Waters in northeastern Minnesota
Philadelphia Freedom
Updates
PennEnvironment Joins Congresswoman Dean to highlight recent increase in funding for toxic site cleanups.
PennEnvironment Joins Rally for the River
U.S. House committee approves $36 million for schools to get the lead out
Featured Resources
Lead in schools’ water
COALITION LETTER IN SUPPORT OF HYDRATION STATIONS
Progress Report: President Biden’s First Year
Get the Lead Out: Safe drinking water at school
The Latest
Type
Environmental, public health groups to Senate: Act on toxic PFAS in drinking water
Eighty-two organizations, including Environment America and U.S. PIRG, delivered a letter Wednesday to the U.S. Senate’s Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee calling for comprehensive federal legislation to protect Americans’ drinking water from contamination by the toxic class of chemicals known as PFAS. The organizations, which hail from 30 states, asked the EPW Committee to designate all PFAS as hazardous substances, prohibit their use in firefighting foam, and direct the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue drinking water standards and stop the dumping of PFAS into our nation’s waterways.
Biden-Harris Administration Announces New Funding to Combat Lead Exposure
Over one hundred environmental and community groups urge U.S. Supreme Court to uphold federal clean water protections
Environmental and community organizations from across the nation Friday urged the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the longstanding scope of the Clean Water Act and reject industry attempts to eliminate federal clean water protections that have kept families, communities, and rivers and lakes safe from pollution for decades. Environment America and several of its state affiliates are among the 113 groups signed onto the brief filed by Natural Resources Defense Council and the Southern Environmental Law Center, in support of the Environmental Protection Agency in the case, Sackett v. EPA.
Philadelphia City Council passes one of the strongest local protections from lead in school drinking water in the nation
PHILADELPHIA -- By a unanimous vote, the Philadelphia City Council passed legislation Thursday requiring the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) to replace all of its old drinking fountains with lead-filtering hydration stations by 2025. Bill 220221, sponsored by Councilmember Helen Gym and cosponsored by 8 members, also will require one of those lead-filtering fountains per every 100 students.
Statement: EPA advises stronger limits on levels of toxic PFAS chemicals to protect Americans’ health
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unveiled on Wednesday new health advisories for four of the most common toxic PFAS chemicals that pollute drinking water nationwide. These official EPA actions “provide technical information to drinking water system operators, as well as federal, state, Tribal, and local officials, on the health effects, analytical methods, and treatment technologies associated with drinking water contaminants.” In addition, the EPA announced the first round of funding to help clean up these so-called “forever chemicals” in public water systems. However, the EPA does not have the authority to enforce any PFAS standard associated with the health advisory.