The quality of drinking water varies greatly depending on where the water comes from and what system delivers it. In essence, where a person lives in our country can define whether the water that he or she receives is clean and safe. This reality represents yet another social determinant of health: thousands of small, poor communities in rural areas across the country are plagued by unsafe water, and poor areas in large metropolitan areas are also under threat.

The highest levels of contamination tracked in the Environmental Working Group’s national tap water database were found in East Los Angeles, a poor area in one of the wealthiest cities in the country. Drinking water quality not only represents a public health crisis but reflects deep inequities and under investment in poor communities.

Great potential exists for philanthropy to help solve this crisis. Engage by:

  • Building public awareness about drinking water challenges across the country and verifying that local drinking water supplies are indeed safe
  • Ientifying solutions to update water infrastructure in poor communities
  • Securing policy and regulatory reform at the state level, and ultimately the federal level, that strengthen drinking water standards and enforcement.

In this polarized political environment, ensuring clean and safe drinking water for all Americans transcends partisanship and ideology. In a recent poll that our foundation commissioned on water issues in the American West, 88 percent of respondents strongly support ensuring safe, affordable drinking water for everyone. Americans rightly recognize the importance of tackling this crisis, and foundations can and should lead the way.

Read more about the importance of clean drinking water by Wade Crowfoot at HEFN