Each year, billions of gallons of sewage and stormwater runoff pollute our rivers, beaches and other waterways. Right now, the U.S. Senate has a chance to fund improvements to our water systems to keep sewage out of our water. Tell our senators: Invest in clean water. ADD YOUR NAME:
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Friend,
Each year, billions of gallons of sewage and stormwater runoff pollute our rivers, beaches and other waterways with pathogens.[1]
Why? Because our nation has outdated, decaying water infrastructure -- but it doesn't have to stay that way.
Right now, we have the best opportunity in a long time to convince the U.S. Senate to increase funding for water infrastructure here in Colorado and in every state across the country.
But our senators need to hear from you.
Tell our senators: We deserve clean water infrastructure.
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The amount of sewage and runoff pollution in our waterways is sickening -- literally. Each year, there are an estimated 57 million instances of people getting sick from swimming in U.S. waterways.[2]
Dirty, polluted water doesn't just stink -- it sickens. And our country's seeing more and more dirty water, from the Great Lakes, where 22 billion gallons of untreated sewage was released into the waters in 2014 alone, to the Missouri River, where a treatment plant released 1 million gallons of sewage into the river every day for months on end.[3,4]
While there's an ocean of problems with our nation's water infrastructure, there's also a plan that can help.
Right now, an $11 billion investment in clean water is on the table. Tell our senators to take it.
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The U.S. House has already approved more than $11 billion in additional water infrastructure funding, but the Senate's spending bills missed the mark -- providing no increased funding for our water infrastructure.
Now, the two chambers have until December 11th to negotiate the budget, so the time to call on our senators is here. Because this is their best chance at increasing funding for our nation's outdated water infrastructure.
If our senators make the right choice and invest in the health of our water and our communities, we could curb sewage overflows, prevent runoff pollution, and, ultimately, improve public health.
A recent poll shows that 84 percent of Americans support investment in clean water infrastructure.[5] So even in this time of bitter partisan division, funding for water infrastructure is one place that we could actually see bipartisan progress -- even before a new administration takes office next year. But only if we speak up.
Urge our senators to make investments in our nation's water infrastructure.
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Thank you,
Hannah Collazo
State Director
1. Gideon Weissman and John Rumpler, "Safe for Swimming? Pollution at Our Beaches and How to Prevent It," Frontier Group and Environment America Research & Policy Center, July 2020.
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2. Stephanie DeFlorio-Barker, Coady Wing, Rachael M. Jones and Samuel Dorevitch, "Estimate of incidence and cost of recreational waterborne illness on United States surface waters," Environmental Health, January 9, 2018.
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3. Angelica A. Morrison, "Niagara Falls sewage release highlights regional problem," NPR, October 5, 2017.
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4. Tara Campbell, "Raw sewage dumped into Missouri River; concerned officials push for testing," 6 News, January 8, 2020.
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5. "Voters Overwhelmingly Favor Investment in Water Infrastructure According to New Poll," Value of Water Campaign, April 28, 2020.
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