The pipes that keep America’s drinking water circulating and the treatment facilities that keep it clean are falling apart.

Degrading water systems are now causing more than half of all waterborne disease outbreaks in the U.S.  A common bacteria associated with leaking water pipes, fecal coliform bacteria, is not a merely unpleasant – it can be deadly for children and the elderly.

Sewage-contaminated water also sickens swimmers and poisons seafood, which when eaten by humans leads to more illnesses – as many as two million per year.

The American Society of Civil Engineers has given our water and wastewater infrastructure systems a D- grade, and the Environmental Protection Agency reports we are falling short on water infrastructure spending by $22 billion per year.

In short, we’re facing a looming crisis of clean water.

Fortunately there is a solution: the Water Protection and Reinvestment Trust Fund, currently before Congress.  This bill would create a dedicated source of public funding so that communities across America can keep their water clean, safe and affordable.