Closing the Water Access Gap in the United States

A National Action Plan

PREFACE: Access to clean, reliable running water and safe sanitation are baseline conditions for health, prosperity, and wellbeing. However, they remain out of reach for some of the most vulnerable people in the United States: communities of color, lower-income people in rural areas, and tribal communities, among others. Today, more than two million Americans lack access to running water, indoor plumbing, or wastewater services. Better water access would allow vulnerable communities to thrive.

This report presents an analysis of the water and sanitation access challenge in the United States, leveraging both quantitative and qualitative research. It proposes a plan of action to ensure equitable water access in our lifetimes, highlighting opportunities for action by the water sector, government agencies, philanthropy, nonprofits, and the public.

Finally, it showcases the promising approaches communities have developed to ensure that their residents can turn on the tap or flush the toilet without a second thought.

This report was developed through collaboration, and it demonstrates how powerful diverse stakeholders can be when they join together. As an organization working directly with communities that lack basic services, DigDeep demonstrates that it is possible to develop solutions to this urgent issue. As an organization that unites diverse interests to build a sustainable water future for all, the US Water Alliance demonstrates the potential of cross-sector partnership. A challenge of this magnitude—affecting the health and wellbeing of millions of Americans—requires the expertise, resources, and ingenuity of a broad range of leaders, united under the guidance of vulnerable communities themselves.

Together, we can close the water access gap in our lifetimes.

George McGraw Chief Executive Officer DigDeep

Radhika Fox Chief Executive Officer US Water Alliance

Link to SOURCE REPORT ABOUT US WATER GAP on CLOSE THE WATERGAP.ORG

or read full report attached

Media

Taxonomy

• Rural Water Supply & Sanitation
• Water Supply
• Water Supply Design
• Rural Area Water Supply
• Urban Water Supply
• Water Supply Regulation
• Water Supply Protection