They create stronger, more resilient communities and contribute significantly to local economic growth and job creation. As communities begin rebuilding, we must address longstanding social and environmental injustices, and ensure our communities and infrastructure are more resilient in the face of a changing climate.Ĭlean water infrastructure and healthy rivers are smart investments for communities across the country. Many of these inequities fall disproportionately on Black, Indigenous, Latinx and other marginalized people. Centuries of poor river management has degraded ecosystems and disconnected communities from their rivers.

Too many people in our country lack access to safe, clean affordable water - two thirds of which comes from rivers and streams.

America’s rivers and water infrastructure have been neglected and abused for decades. The impacts associated with a changing climate are exacerbating existing challenges facing our country. Precipitation is becoming more variable and uncertain, leading to more frequent and more intense floods and droughts. On top of that, climate change is shifting where and when water is available. While you can’t directly point the finger at climate change for any one weather event, scientists have found that climate change is increasing the frequency, intensity, and impacts of extreme weather events. Along the Upper Mississippi, an unusual derecho covered hundreds of miles and brought significant rainfall and wind damage to the region. Crashing into the coast, storm surges are causing catastrophic flooding and torrential rainstorms are impacting communities far beyond the coast. This year we’ve seen 20 tropical storms, 6 of which have turned into hurricanes. Conversely, on the East Coast and the Midwest, significant flooding has occurred. These wildfires are uprooting communities, causing serious health issues and when the smoke finally clears, leftover debris and toxic runoff could pollute our rivers and impact drinking water supplies. In the last month, over 5 million acres of land has burned in California, Washington and Oregon. Drought and record-breaking wildfires have plagued the West this summer. From coast to coast, communities across the country are feeling the impacts of too much – or not enough water at the right time.

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