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51 years after the passage of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), a new open-access book looks ahead to what it will take to protect America’s drinking water in the decades to come. Safe Drinking Water Act: The Next Fifty Years, edited by Water & Health Advisory Council member Manny Teodoro, brings together leading researchers and water sector leaders, including Council members Chad Seidel, Alan Roberson, and Council Chair Kathryn Sorensen, to examine what the next phase of U.S. drinking water policy will require. The book explores high-priority issues including prioritizing public health risks, strengthening workforce capacity, improving governance and regulatory implementation, and scaling water systems to enhance performance and resilience.
The book grew out of a December 2024 symposium hosted by the Council and the University of Wisconsin-Madison during the Safe Drinking Water Act’s 50th anniversary year. At its center is the Madison Declaration, which calls for a renewed national approach to drinking water focused on governance, institutional capacity, and public trust.
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Council Member Manny Teodoro Discusses Safe Drinking Water Act: The Next Fifty Years on The Water Entrepreneur
Council member Manny Teodoro joined The Water Entrepreneur podcast to discuss Safe Drinking Water Act: The Next Fifty Years, highlighting the need for long-term investment, utility consolidation, and stronger governance to address aging infrastructure, workforce shortages, affordability pressures, and ensure safe, reliable tap water for the decades ahead.
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Council Member Alan Roberson Joins The Water Entrepreneur Podcast to Discuss His Contributions to the Newly Released Book
Council member Alan Roberson joined The Water Entrepreneur podcast to discuss his chapter in Safe Drinking Water Act: The Next Fifty Years, examining the evolution of drinking water regulations, the growing compliance burden on utilities, and the need for consolidation and adaptive management to strengthen resilience in the decades ahead.
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Water Online Opinion: Why Policymakers Should Read Past The Abstract
Council members Manny Teodoro, Chad Seidel, and Joe Cotruvo authored an
op-ed responding to a recent PNAS study on PFAS and infant health, urging policymakers to look beyond headlines, scrutinize underlying assumptions and exposure definitions, and ensure that drinking water regulations are grounded in rigorous, decision-grade scientific evidence.
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DPW Reports 20-Inch Water Main Break in the City Resulting in 120 Services Shut Off
In Baltimore, a 20-inch water main broke during freezing temperatures, flooding streets and forcing crews to shut off almost 120 water services. Incidents like this are becoming increasingly frequent, as the American Society of Civil Engineers estimates a water main break occurs every two minutes nationwide due to aging infrastructure.
Protecting communities from these disruptions requires sustained investment and long-term policy solutions that strengthen water systems and ensure reliable access to this essential resource.
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Billions of Dollars in Play as Communities Tackle Aging Water Infrastructure
Communities across Washington, Arkansas, Iowa, Los Angeles, and beyond are receiving billions of dollars to modernize essential water and wastewater infrastructure. From mid-sized communities replacing outdated treatment plants to major metropolitan regions pursuing drought-resilient water supplies, these projects show how utilities are responding to both immediate needs and long-term planning challenges.
Major investments like these are essential to ensure safe, reliable, and resilient water service for communities well into the future.
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Salty, Oily Drinking Water Left Sores in Their Mouths. Oklahoma Refused to Find Out Why
An Oklahoma family’s private well water reached chloride levels nearly ten times the Environmental Protection Agency’s recommended limit for drinking water, and state testing deemed the water too salty even for agriculture. When the family sought help, they were told private well concerns fall outside regulatory jurisdiction, leaving them confused and concerned.
Strengthening monitoring and support for private well users is essential to ensure rural communities like these are not excluded from basic drinking water protections.
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2 Cruise Passengers Diagnosed with Legionnaire's Disease After Norwegian Voyage
Two cruise passengers were recently diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease following a December 2025 voyage, prompting a CDC-supported investigation into potential exposure sources onboard. Legionnaires’ disease has increased significantly in recent decades, with cases rising nearly ninefold in the U.S. between 2000 and 2018.
As the deadliest waterborne illness in the country, preventing Legionella growth through consistent monitoring, maintenance, and water management practices remains essential to protecting public health.
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Months Without Showers: Harlem Building's Residents Stuck in Legionella Limbo
One of New York City’s largest apartment buildings recently tested positive for Legionella, forcing residents to contend with significant daily water-use disruptions. The issue follows a fatal Legionella outbreak at a nearby Harlem apartment building that sickened nearly 100 people.
New York’s ongoing Legionella challenges underscore the critical importance of maintaining aging water infrastructure to protect public health.
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Illinois American Water Seeks 4th Rate Hike in 10 Years
Illinois American Water has requested a rate adjustment to help cover the cost of replacing dated infrastructure and maintaining reliable water service. Aging systems continue to grow more expensive to operate but securing reliable and high-quality tap water will always be cheaper for the ratepayer and more dependable than commercial sources.
Nationwide, utilities like this are struggling to keep up with extensive repair needs without long-term funding and policy support required to maintain reliable water systems.
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Water Main Breaks Surge Across Metro Detroit as Aging Infrastructure Struggles with Winter Weather
Detroit’s east side is experiencing a sharp increase in water main breaks, with nearly one occurring each day and residents reporting discolored water from damaged pipes. Officials attribute the surge to aging infrastructure compounded by prolonged cold temperatures that place additional strain on older systems.
Addressing challenges like this will require sustained funding and long-term policy planning to modernize aging water infrastructure and ensure dependable service for the future.
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Small Towns in Arkansas Delta and Beyond Struggling with Debt-Ridden, Aging Water Systems
Residents in Arkansas’s Delta region continue to face poor water quality and frequent service outages as rural water systems struggle with aging infrastructure and limited resources. Nationwide, more than 45,000 community water systems serve 10,000 people or fewer, meaning roughly 66 million Americans rely on small systems for their drinking water.
Strengthening and, where appropriate, consolidating smaller systems can be a meaningful step toward ensuring safe and reliable drinking water for every community.
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