To: The United States Senate

Urgent action needed for our drinking water

Inexpensive, clean drinking water is a marvelous success story of American ingenuity, which has helped ensure our nation’s growth for generations. But now those pipes are more than 50 years old, and the infrastructure that provides drinking water for millions of Americans is failing at an alarming rate.

Now is the time to fix this problem before it gets worse. I strongly urge you to support S.2583, which increases funding for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. This legislation provides communities throughout the country much-needed help to fix their failing water infrastructure and keep polluted water from reaching their citizens.

Why is this important?

Flint, may have opened our eyes, but the problem goes well beyond one city in the Midwest. Our aging and corroded water infrastructure throughout America is failing at an alarming rate.[1] And the stakes couldn’t be higher: the very water we drink.

Thankfully, a bill was just introduced that would go a long way toward fixing this problem.[2] Take action now, and let’s convince our senators to support much-needed upgrades for America’s drinking water.

1. "Drinking water systems imperiled by failing infrastructure," Associated Press, Sept. 26, 2015, http://bigstory.ap.org/article/5e1a4c0c661f4c6cb94d3b6b71e4a337/drinking-water-systems-imperiled-failing-infrastructure.
2. "Cardin bill would more than triple funds available to states for crumbling and polluted water infrastructure," Sen. Ben Cardin press release, Feb. 11, 2016, http://www.cardin.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/cardin-bill-would-more-than-triple-funds-available-to-states-for-fixing-crumbling-and-polluted-water-infrastructure.