Our Water Future Requires Action Now

Key Takeaways Our public health history is strong. The water sector did many of the right things at the right time to effectively protect public health, such as starting chlorination in the early 1900s. The status quo is not an option. We are collectively losing ground on new and emerging contaminants, funding, and public trust, to name a few of our major challenges. Water sector leadership at the local, state, and federal levels can change our trajectory and achieve a better future through coordination, collaboration, creativity, and speed. New regulatory and nonregulatory approaches are needed, such as optimizing the regulatory development process and looking outside of federal mandates for solutions.