LETS CELEBRATE — But Finding Good Water is a Challenge!

How Will You Celebrate Drinking Water Week?

From Chett Pritchett, Development Officer, WV Rivers Coalition, May 3, 2021

Dear Friends and Concerned Citizens:

Did you know that the first week in May is Drinking Water Week? A whole week to celebrate clean, healthy drinking water!

Our team at WV Rivers has put together some awesome facts and shareable items to help you know a little bit more about how our work impacts the drinking water of West Virginians (and residents of neighboring states). Be sure to check our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram over the course of this week to learn about our work along with some fun facts about water!

Excitement is growing for the critical advocacy and collaboration we do at WV Rivers. Because of your support, we stopped the rollback of the Aboveground Storage Tank Act during the last session of the West Virginia legislature. This victory improves the life of West Virginia’s human and wildlife populations and lessens the burden of clean water on local public utilities.

Won’t you consider supporting this vital work during Drinking Water Week?

Did you know there are 12 chemical and plastics manufacturers in West Virginia that discharge harmful pollutants in our drinking water supplies? WV Rivers works to hold these industries accountable to pollution standards to  keep  our drinking water safe.  Your support makes a difference!

We also support local initiatives that keep springs and wells safe. Right now, we’re partnering with folks in Pocahontas County who are organizing to keep their water safe from a potential experimental mine at the headwaters of the Tygart River. Your support makes a difference!

The next time you drink a glass of water, remember all of the people who make it safe to drink – from watershed organizations, to water utility workers, to citizen advocates. Your support makes a difference!

>>> Chett Pritchett, Development Officer

WEST VIRGINIA RIVERS COALITION
3501 MacCorkle Ave SE #129
Charleston, West Virginia 25304
304-637-7201 | wvrivers@wvrivers.org

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See also: “Congress, water sector signal optimism for major investment water covers,” Andre Farr, Water Finance & Management, May 3, 2021

On Thursday the U.S. Senate voted to pass S. 914, the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act (DWWIA). It is the first infrastructure bill approved by the Senate this Congress.

The bipartisan, comprehensive clean water and drinking water infrastructure legislation will authorize strong annual water infrastructure investment to help boost federal water infrastructure investment, including the first-ever reauthorization of the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) at a level totaling $14.6 billion over five years.

In full, the legislation authorizes more than $35 billion for drinking water and wastewater resource development projects across the country “with a focus on upgrading aging infrastructure, addressing the threat of climate change, investing in new technologies, and providing assistance to marginalized communities.”

This legislation also authorizes a pilot program at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to assist low-income households in maintaining access to affordable clean water services and directs the Agency to assess low-income water assistance needs around the country.

The bill was introduced by Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW) and Ranking EPW Member Sen. Shelley Capito (R-W.Va.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chair of the EPW Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure; Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Chair of the EPW Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife; Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Ranking Member of the EPW Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife; and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

The legislation passed by a vote of 89-2.