Water Policy: 9.2 Million Lead Pipes and a Nation Running Dry

How Bad Is America's Water Crisis?

America's water crisis is not a single problem — it is three converging catastrophes. Lead poisoning from 9.2 million corroding service lines. PFAS contamination affecting 200 million people. And a drying West where the Colorado River — lifeline for 40 million Americans — is at 25% of its historical flow.

Lead pipes: An estimated 9.2 million lead service lines still deliver water to American homes, schools, and daycares. There is no safe level of lead exposure. Even trace amounts cause irreversible neurological damage in children — lower IQ, behavioral disorders, learning disabilities. The Flint, Michigan crisis, which began in 2014, was not an anomaly. It was the most visible symptom of a national emergency that has been unfolding quietly in cities across the country: Newark, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee.

PFAS contamination: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — "forever chemicals" that never break down — have been detected in the drinking water of an estimated 200 million Americans. PFAS are linked to cancer, thyroid disease, immune system suppression, and reproductive harm. They are in 98% of Americans' blood. Until 2024, there were no federal drinking water limits for PFAS at all.

Aging infrastructure: The American Society of Civil Engineers gives US drinking water infrastructure a grade of C-. Water main breaks affect 300,000 customers per year. An estimated $600 billion in investment is needed over the next 20 years just to maintain current service levels — before addressing lead, PFAS, or drought.

Rural water access: Two million Americans — disproportionately in rural communities and on Indigenous reservations — lack access to clean running water entirely. The Navajo Nation has a higher percentage of households without running water than many developing nations.

Drought in the West: The Colorado River, which supplies water to seven states and 40 million people, is experiencing a megadrought that has reduced its flow to roughly 25% of historical levels. Lake Mead and Lake Powell have reached historic lows. The 1922 Colorado River Compact allocates more water than the river actually produces — a fiction that is now colliding with physical reality.

What Are PFAS and Why Should You Care?

PFAS are a class of over 12,000 synthetic chemicals that have been used since the 1940s in everything from nonstick cookware to firefighting foam. They are called "forever chemicals" because they do not break down — not in the environment, not in your body, not ever. And they are in nearly everything.

Where they come from: PFAS enter the water supply through industrial discharge, military base contamination (AFFF firefighting foam), waste- water treatment plants that cannot filter them out, and agricultural runoff from biosolids used as fertilizer. Manufacturing facilities have released PFAS into waterways for decades. Military bases have contaminated groundwater near hundreds of communities. The chemicals are so persistent that once they enter a water supply, they remain indefinitely.

Health effects: PFAS exposure is linked to kidney and testicular cancer, thyroid disease, liver damage, immune system suppression (including reduced vaccine effectiveness), reproductive harm, and developmental delays in children. These are not theoretical risks — they are documented in decades of epidemiological studies, including research on communities near manufacturing plants like the DuPont facility in Parkersburg, West Virginia.

They're in 98% of Americans' blood. CDC biomonitoring studies have detected PFAS in the blood of virtually every American tested. The chemicals accumulate over a lifetime and are passed from mother to child during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Even if all PFAS production stopped today, existing contamination would persist for generations.

No federal limits until recently: The EPA did not establish enforceable drinking water limits for any PFAS compounds until 2024. For decades, the only federal guidance was a non-enforceable "health advisory" that carried no legal weight. The Common Good plan establishes comprehensive PFAS regulation, cleanup standards, and manufacturer liability. For the full framework, see the water policy issue page.

How Does the Common Good Water Plan Work?

The Common Good plan treats water as a fundamental right — not a commodity. It addresses lead contamination, PFAS exposure, infrastructure decay, western drought, and rural access through specific, funded provisions with clear timelines.

The plan is built on eight core provisions, each targeting a specific failure in America's water systems.

• Replace All 9.2 Million Lead Pipes: A 10-year national lead service line replacement program, fully federally funded, prioritizing schools, childcare facilities, and communities with the highest lead levels. No homeowner cost. No means testing.
• PFAS Regulation and Cleanup: Enforceable limits on all PFAS compounds in drinking water, manufacturer liability for cleanup costs, and a national PFAS remediation fund for contaminated communities — including military bases.
• Water Infrastructure Investment: $600 billion in water infrastructure over 20 years — funded through federal investment, user fee reform, and dedicated water infrastructure bonds. Addresses aging pipes, treatment plants, stormwater systems, and wastewater infrastructure.
• Colorado River Compact Reform: Renegotiate the 1922 Colorado River Compact to reflect actual river flows, establish water conservation incentives for agriculture (which uses 70-80% of Colorado River water), and invest in desalination and water recycling for western cities.
• Right to Clean Water: Establish a federal statutory right to clean, affordable drinking water — enforceable through federal courts. No American should lack access to safe water because of where they live or how much they earn.
• Rural Water Access: Targeted investment in rural water systems and Indigenous communities. The Navajo Nation, Appalachian communities, and the colonias along the Texas-Mexico border have waited decades for basic water access.
• Water Utility Regulation: Regulate privately owned water utilities as essential public services with rate caps, quality standards, and infrastructure investment requirements. Prevent the profit-driven underinvestment that created the current crisis.
• Agricultural Runoff Standards: Enforceable limits on agricultural runoff — the largest source of water pollution in America. Nutrient management requirements, buffer zones, and incentives for regenerative farming practices that reduce runoff at the source.

For the complete plan with legislative detail, cost projections, and sourcing, see the full water policy issue page.

How Does US Water Quality Compare to Other Countries?

The United States — the wealthiest nation in human history — has worse water infrastructure and weaker water quality protections than most peer nations. Countries with far fewer resources have achieved what America has not: universal access to safe, clean drinking water.

Denmark has the strictest PFAS regulations in the world and ranks first in water quality. Germany eliminated virtually all lead service lines decades ago. Japan's water infrastructure is maintained to standards the United States has never achieved. These are not wealthy nations spending recklessly on water — they are nations that treat clean water as a basic government responsibility rather than an optional investment.

Sources: WHO/UNICEF, OECD, EPA, EEA. See the full issue page for complete sourcing.

What Is Happening to the Colorado River?

The Colorado River is the lifeline of the American West. It supplies water to 40 million people across seven states, irrigates 5.5 million acres of farmland, and generates hydroelectric power for millions more. It is running dry.

25% of historical flow: A 23-year megadrought — the worst in 1,200 years, intensified by climate change — has reduced the Colorado River to roughly a quarter of its historical flow. Scientific studies estimate that 30-50% of the river's decline is attributable to rising temperatures, which increase evaporation and reduce snowpack in the Rocky Mountains.

Lake Mead and Lake Powell at historic lows: The nation's two largest reservoirs — which together store water for the entire Southwest — have dropped to levels not seen since they were first filled. Lake Mead has fallen so low that it has revealed objects submerged for decades, including human remains and sunken boats. If the reservoirs drop below critical thresholds, the Hoover and Glen Canyon dams can no longer generate power, and mandatory water cutoffs begin for downstream states.

40 million people depend on it: Las Vegas gets nearly all of its water from Lake Mead. Phoenix and Tucson depend on the Central Arizona Project, which draws from the Colorado. Southern California's Imperial Irrigation District — which produces much of the nation's winter vegetables — uses more Colorado River water than the entire state of Arizona. When the river fails, cities, farms, and ecosystems fail with it.

Competing interests: Agriculture consumes 70-80% of Colorado River water. Municipalities use 10-15%. The environment — the river's own ecosystem — gets whatever is left, which is increasingly nothing. The Colorado River Delta, once a vast wetland supporting hundreds of species, has been reduced to a dry riverbed that no longer reaches the sea.

The 1922 Colorado River Compact — the legal framework that governs water allocation — was written during an abnormally wet period and allocates more water than the river actually produces. It has never been updated to reflect reality. The Common Good plan calls for a full renegotiation of the Compact, agricultural water conservation incentives, investment in water recycling and desalination, and a framework that acknowledges what science has made clear: the old West is not coming back.

What Are the Biggest Myths About Water?

America's water crisis persists in part because most Americans don't know it exists. These four myths keep the public disengaged from one of the most urgent infrastructure challenges the country faces.

Water Policy: Frequently Asked Questions

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