Few issues are as fundamental to all people as safe, clean drinking water.
Hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites face the threat of bacteria, chemicals, pesticides, lead, and other contaminants in their drinking water. From rural to urban areas, we are advocating for safe drinking water to protect the health of communities of all backgrounds so they can thrive. Our work includes:
Working to pass administrative rules on nitrate and PFAS.
Engaging and educating Wisconsin communities about water issues through community events, partnerships, and forums.
Increasing child lead testing to immediately protect children’s health and to better understand and communicate the scale of the problem.
Increasing the media and decision-makers’ understanding of the root causes of pollution.
Localizing water issues and make the problems transparent through things like community water testing, individual well testing, and child lead testing.
Take Action
Write your legislator to support clean drinking water
Activist Toolkit
Contact us to get involved
What You Need to Know About Clean Water
Clean drinking water is vital to our health, and yet thousands of Wisconsinites don’t have clean water in their homes. We’re working to change that based on the input of community members and partner organizations, because every person, regardless of our background or zip code, deserves safe, clean drinking water.
From contaminated well water to sewage and agricultural runoff to lead poisoning in urban pipes – people of all backgrounds in Wisconsin are affected by unsafe drinking water. Elevated levels of lead show up in the blood of children in Watertown, Milwaukee, Menasha, and many more cities at the same time that over 80 water systems contain dangerous levels of lead. Families across Wisconsin can’t use their tap water because factory farms are contaminating their water supply with bacteria from manure.
There are hard working people across the state that are lobbying elected officials on effective solutions, educating the public about these dangers, and providing water filters to homes. It is important that we pressure our elected officials to pass clean water legislation and protect the health of our residents.
What We’re Working on Right Now
Advocating for clean water policies in the state budget, including:
Protecting drinking water from PFAs, a group of chemicals resistant to heat, water, and oil that are dangerous if consumed.
Protecting drinking water in private wells by replacing contaminated wells.
Implementing non-point pollution programs for pollution runoff.
Funding oversight of CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) in order to stop millions of gallons of concentrated liquid manure from seeping into the groundwater and our drinking water.
Cleaning up contaminated sediments in the Great Lakes Basin.
See the full list of what we support in our sister organization Wisconsin Conservation Voters’ budget analysis
