We’re proud to share our 2025 Impact Report: Fortify, Defend, and Enforce, highlighting a year of challenges met and progress made across our global movement for clean water.

We partnered with Waterkeepers to strengthen the global right to clean water by defending communities against toxic PFAS and 6PPD, tracking plastic pollution, and stopping harmful projects.

Our legal victories included halting the Gross Reservoir expansion in Colorado, pushing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to update industrial discharge standards, and revealing PFAS contamination in 98% of tested surface waters. We challenged industrial agriculture by contesting weak pollution permits and holding factory farms accountable for harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie.

Our efforts against plastic pellet pollution spanned 14 countries and 29 U.S. states, while advocating for a strong Global Plastics Treaty. We opposed the expansion of fossil fuels by blocking pipelines and offshore drilling projects.

We grew our movement with new Waterkeepers in Africa, including our first in Malawi, and expanded in the U.S. with new groups in Illinois, Utah, and North Carolina.

These efforts support our 5-Year Plan's Priority 3: to fortify and enforce clean water policies. Thank you for your support—your passion drives our victories.

AFRICA REGIONAL SUMMIT

Waterkeeper Alliance kicked off the first of six Regional Summits with the Africa Regional Summit in Dakar! Over three powerful days, Waterkeepers from Sénégal, Malawi, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, and Mali came together with government officials, experts, and community partners to tackle urgent water challenges and explore ways to build a stronger, more connected network.

Summit highlights included expert-led sessions on marine protection, fossil fuels, pollution, and climate change; a community cleanup with Hann Baykeeper; and a press conference that drew 40 journalists and amplified African Waterkeepers’ collective voices and shared commitments. Check out our latest blog for more key takeaways, inspirational moments, and fresh insights from Dakar.

Continuing the momentum, we’re heading to Australia and China this month for the Oceania and Asia Regional Summits—connecting with regional Waterkeepers for more collaboration, more voices, and more progress to share!

Waterkeeper Alliance and partners have filed an appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia challenging a U.S. EPA rule that exempts industrial animal operations from reporting hazardous air emissions like ammonia and hydrogen sulfide—pollutants linked to serious health risks and over 12,700 deaths annually in the U.S. The coalition argues the exemption violates the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, depriving communities and emergency responders of critical information. Waterkeeper Alliance and allies have been fighting the agency’s efforts to shield factory farms from pollution reporting requirements for over a decade. This latest legal action continues our longstanding work to ensure transparency, public health protections, and accountability from one of the nation’s most polluting industries.

MILITARY PFAS CONTAMINATION

Waterkeeper Alliance called on President Trump and Congress to hold the Department of Defense (DoD) accountable after a New York Times report revealed that the Pentagon has delayed cleanup of toxic PFAS contamination at nearly 140 military installations across the country. This is a significant concern, as a 2022 analysis found that more than 600,000 service members may have been exposed to contaminated on-base drinking water. Waterkeeper Alliance previously called on Congress to hold the DoD accountable after it failed to request adequate funding to properly address the PFAS crisis at impacted military sites.

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

For billions, water insecurity is a daily reality. In this new blog, co-written by Waterkeeper Alliance CEO Marc Yaggi with University of Southern California’s Wändi Bruine de Bruin and Joshua Inwald, they explore how water insecurity not only impacts health and livelihoods but also shapes how people perceive risk and respond to disasters. By understanding these perceptions, they stress that we can create better communication strategies that build trust and help communities become more resilient in an uncertain future.

Marc also penned a letter to the editor that was published in The New York Times calling out industry influence at U.S. EPA and the agency’s attempt to roll back PFAS cleanup rules. If polluters aren’t held accountable, the public will be left to pay the price — with their health and their wallets.

Marc Yaggi joined host Marla Moody to discuss the importance of clean water and the urgent need for collective action to address the global water crisis. Listen to this featured episode here or wherever you get your podcasts!

Now Streaming! Series four of Equity In Every Drop kicks off with a thoughtful conversation with Kyoga Nile Waterkeeper Godfrey Kitimbo in Uganda and Hartwell Carson, Clean Water Director for Mountain True and former French Broad Riverkeeper in North Carolina. Though they work thousands of miles apart, their partnership and friendship is driving local impact through global collaboration. Together, they share how they’re confronting water pollution with shared strategies, community engagement, and a united commitment to clean water.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts!

Our latest "Who Is Waterkeeper" features the incredible work of Khowai River Waterkeeper Tofazzal Sohel in Bangladesh, who was honored with the Terry Backer Award in 2024 for exemplifying the spirit, grit, and determination of a legendary Waterkeeper. Inspired by the vibrant community around the river and the damage it has faced, he joined the fight for clean water. Despite facing numerous threats and challenges, Tofazzal continues to earn the respect and trust of his community through his dedication and efforts.

Read more about his journey and work here.

Copyright © 2025 Waterkeeper Alliance, All Rights Reserved.

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