More than a resource, water is the very essence of life, yet our nation’s waterways face escalating threats that jeopardize access to clean and safe water. Once-pure headwaters are now grappling with pollution and excessive use. Formerly free-flowing rivers are obstructed by dams, diverted from their natural courses, or degraded. Vital wetlands — nature’s ingenious flood defenses and filtration systems — are disappearing at an alarming rate, compounded by weakened legal definitions that are stripping these crucial ecosystems of their important protections. This detrimental combination has compromised drinking water sources, dwindling fish populations, and a reduced capacity to withstand the intensifying impacts of climate change, such as droughts, aridification, floods, and storms.

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