August is Water Quality and Children's Health Month
Access to clean and safe drinking water is critical to children’s optimal health and development.
In the U.S. we often take potable water for granted, but recent contamination events have heightened visibility around the importance of maintaining our drinking water systems, reducing sources of contaminants, and achieving equity in access to safe water.
This month we are pleased to partner with the Lead Service Line Replacement Collaborative and Clean Water for All! The LSLRC utilizes collaboration to drive the replacement of lead service lines in communities across the U.S. Clean Water for All is a coalition of groups collectively working to ensure safe drinking water for all. Click on their logos below to read more about their role in driving action to address key water quality issues.
Click here to help us continue to bring together and highlight the critical work being done to protect children's health, galvanize support, and motivate society to take action.
What can you do to ensure safe drinking water and protect children?
Read more about lead in drinking water and lead service lines (LSLs):
- LSL Replacement Collaborative toolkit: Resources for Concerned Consumers.
- Environmental Defense Fund 2018 report: Putting children first: Tackling lead in water at child care facilities.
- Environmental Protection Agency: Basic Information about Lead in Drinking Water.
- WK Kellogg Foundation and Horsley Witten Group: Lead in drinking water (for homeowners and for renters and condo owners).
Learn if there is an LSL at your home or places where your child learns and plays:
- Reach out to your local water utility and ask if they know what material the service line is at your home.
- Check out NPR’s interactive tool to learn how to see if you have a lead service line.
- Ask the child care facility operator or school building manager if they know the material of the service line at the building and whether they’ve tested their water for lead to identify problematic fixtures.
Raise your voice in support of LSL replacement!
- Ask your local elected official what they are doing to support LSL replacement in your community.Tell them it’s an important topic for you.
Tell EPA to put drinking water first to protect the health of children and communities:
- Learn more about the Clean Water Rule, and tell EPA to NOT repeal the Rule, which protects the drinking water sources for one in three Americans.
- Learn more about EPA’s proposal to do nothing to protect communities from chemical spills, and tell the agency to protect drinking water from hazardous spills.
- Add your voice to the millions of Americans who want to protect clean water—sign Clean Water for All’s petition to let the world know you want to put our kids’ health first by safeguarding streams, wetlands, and drinking water!