JANUARY ROUNDUP
Water & Health Advisory Council
To help provide clarity and context around Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and their effects on drinking water supplies and public health, we came together with individual experts to develop four white papers.
 
These white papers explore the science behind the toxicity of PFAS, safe exposure limits, and why it became a concern in the first place. 

Access our open access research on our website:




Water Advisory Insights
Statement | EPA Administrator Regan Announces Bold Actions to Protect Communities Following the Journey to Justice Tour
The Water & Health Advisory Council applauds the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Administrator Michael S. Regan for the recently announced actions to protect communities that have been historically and disproportionately impacted by water infrastructure challenges.
Member insights | Public Policy Institute of California A Shrinking River Inspires Growing Collaboration
Council member Kathryn Sorensen, Director of Research at Arizona State University Kyl Center for Water Policy at Morrison Institute, and Bill Hasencamp, Manager of Colorado River Resources for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, recently met with Sarah Bardeen with the Public Policy Institute of California to share insights on the long-term outlook for the Colorado River and the millions of people who depend on it.
Member Research | AWWA Water Science: Does regulating per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances represent a meaningful opportunity for health risk reduction?
Katherine Alfredo, Amlan Ghosh and Council member Chad Seidel recently released a peer-reviewed analysis that sets a new way for policymakers to analyze toxic contaminants throughout the US.
Water News
From emergency climate-induced weather conditions to ongoing aging infrastructure needs, our nation's water supply is at risk. We must prioritize what best protects public health for the greatest number of people.
New York Times: An Alabama Town’s Sewage Woes Test Biden’s Infrastructure Ambitions
If any part of the country stands to see transformational benefits from the $1 trillion infrastructure act that President Biden signed in November, it is Alabama’s Black Belt, named for the loamy soil that once made it a center of slave-labor cotton production. It is an expanse of 17 counties stretching from Georgia to Mississippi where Black people make up three-quarters of the population. About $55 billion of the infrastructure law’s overall funding is dedicated to upgrading systems around the country that handle drinking water, wastewater and stormwater, including $25 billion to replace failing drinking-water systems in cities like Flint, Mich., and Jackson, Miss.
Los Angeles Times: Harris touts removal and replacement of lead pipes funded by infrastructure law
Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday visited Wisconsin to tout how the bipartisan infrastructure law passed last year is enabling authorities to improve drinking water by removing lead pipes, saying such action is a “moral imperative.” Speaking at a nonprofit in Milwaukee, Harris highlighted the $15 billion from the infrastructure measure that will fund the removal and replacement of all lead pipes nationwide within a decade. The Environmental Protection Agency has already announced the release of $3 billion that will allow states to begin the work, Harris said.
Associated Press: Justices to weigh limits on reach of Clean Water Act
The Supreme Court said Monday it will consider reining in federal regulation of private property under the nation’s main anti-water pollution law, the Clean Water Act. The justices agreed to hear a business-backed appeal from Chantell and Michael Sackett, who have wanted to build a home close to Priest Lake in Idaho for 15 years and won an earlier round in their legal fight at the Supreme Court. The Environmental Protection Agency ordered work on the Sackett’s property halted in 2007, determining that part of it was a wetlands that could not be disturbed without a permit.
The new court case, to be argued in the fall, tests the reach of the Clean Water Act beyond rivers, lakes and streams.
Associated Press: Groups file complaint against water utility over lead pipes
Five environmental and community groups have filed a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency alleging the Providence Water Supply Board’s infrastructure and lead pipe replacement work disproportionately increases the risk of lead exposure for residents of color. “All families deserve lead-free drinking water, regardless of race, class, or any other factor,” Childhood Lead Action Project Executive Director Laura Brion said in a statement Wednesday. “Right now, ProvWater will only fully replace lead pipes for property owners with enough money to pay out of pocket or take out a loan. This amounts to obvious race and class discrimination and needs to stop.”
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