Putting Drinking Water First

“Putting Drinking Water First” means stopping threats to drinking water where they start.

Clean Water Action is working to win strong water pollution controls  by focusing on public health and drinking water impacts and bringing public health and environmental advocacy into Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) implementation.

Content Related by Campaigns

Letter to EPA: Refrain from Further Narrowing the Definition of the “Waters of the United States”

Clean Water Action / Clean Water Fund submitted the following comment letter as part of the April 2025 public comment period for EPA's Request for Recommendations on the definition of the "Waters of the United States"

Environmental Forum Safe Drinking Water Act 50th Anniversary "Debate in Print"

Clean Water National Campaigns Director Lynn Thorp is one of the authors in the Environmental Forum Safe Drinking Water Act 50th Anniversary "Debate in Print"

Using Clean Water Act Discharge Permits to Protect Drinking Water Sources

The Clean Water Act has many tools that can be used to address sources of pollution that impact drinking water sources. This current guide focuses on how Public Water Systems can use Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System pollution permits, which control surface water pollution by regulating point sources that discharge into surface waters, to improve and protect the quality of drinking water sources.

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Beakers. Photo credit: Africa Studios / Shutterstock

PFAS Chemicals – Protecting Our Drinking Water And Our Health

PFAS are a class of human-made chemicals that very long-lived, which means that they remain in the environment and in humans and wildlife for a very long time. Clean Water is taking on pollution from these "Forever Chemicals" through education, research, working with impacted communities, advocating for legislation and regulation at the state and national level, supporting Safe Drinking Water Act monitoring, holding polluters accountable, and more.
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Lead and Drinking Water

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that lead in drinking water can be 20% or more of a person’s lead exposure. We need to get lead out of contact with water. That’s where full lead service line replacement comes in - alongside advocacy, collaboration, and education.
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Stream in a yellow meadow

What's at stake with the Dirty Water Rule

In January 2020, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized it's Navigable Waters Protection Rule (AKA "The Dirty Water Rule") to slash federal clean water safeguards. Trump’s Dirty Water Rule is a radical reinterpretation of the Clean Water Act that would eliminate protections for rain

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Background: Federal Regulation of Lead in Drinking Water

For our introduction to lead and drinking water, click here.

The Federal Government regulates lead in drinking water, primarily through the Lead and Copper Rule.

Lead and Copper Rule

Adopted as part of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) in 1991 by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the Lead

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Fixtures. Photo credit: Andrey Eremin / Shutterstock

Content Related by Campaigns

Letter to EPA: Refrain from Further Narrowing the Definition of the “Waters of the United States”

Clean Water Action / Clean Water Fund submitted the following comment letter as part of the April 2025 public comment period for EPA's Request for Recommendations on the definition of the "Waters of the United States"

Environmental Forum Safe Drinking Water Act 50th Anniversary "Debate in Print"

Clean Water National Campaigns Director Lynn Thorp is one of the authors in the Environmental Forum Safe Drinking Water Act 50th Anniversary "Debate in Print"

Using Clean Water Act Discharge Permits to Protect Drinking Water Sources

The Clean Water Act has many tools that can be used to address sources of pollution that impact drinking water sources. This current guide focuses on how Public Water Systems can use Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System pollution permits, which control surface water pollution by regulating point sources that discharge into surface waters, to improve and protect the quality of drinking water sources.

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Publications

Letter to EPA: Refrain from Further Narrowing the Definition of the “Waters of the United States”

Clean Water Action / Clean Water Fund submitted the following comment letter as part of the April 2025 public comment period for EPA's Request for Recommendations on the definition of the "Waters of the United States"

Environmental Forum Safe Drinking Water Act 50th Anniversary "Debate in Print"

Clean Water National Campaigns Director Lynn Thorp is one of the authors in the Environmental Forum Safe Drinking Water Act 50th Anniversary "Debate in Print"

Using Clean Water Act Discharge Permits to Protect Drinking Water Sources

The Clean Water Act has many tools that can be used to address sources of pollution that impact drinking water sources. This current guide focuses on how Public Water Systems can use Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System pollution permits, which control surface water pollution by regulating point sources that discharge into surface waters, to improve and protect the quality of drinking water sources.

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