Washington, D.C. — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published the Water Affordability Needs Assessment Report, measuring the financial hardship families face from unaffordable water, and the subsequent impact on both households and water utilities. The report found that 19.2 million households, or 1 in 7 people in the U.S., have unaffordable water.

“It’s unacceptable that anyone in this country has to face the impossible decision between paying their water bill and paying for food, medicine, or living in fear of having their water shut off. Water is a human right and should be safe and affordable for all — regardless of race, income, or where they live,” said Yasmin Zaerpoor, Director of Water Equity and Climate Resilience with PolicyLink. “The EPA's assessment is a critical step to addressing the fact that thousands of families in every state are struggling to keep up with the rising cost of water.”

This EPA needs assessment finds that a permanent low-income water assistance program  would require $8.8 billion per year in federal funding to close the current water affordability gap, though other research shows the scale may be even greater. Throughout the year, members of the PolicyLink-anchored Water Equity & Climate Resilience (WECR) Caucus met with EPA staff, participated in stakeholder meetings, and provided written input as the agency developed this assessment. That included sharing state and local data, research on the impact of rising water bills, on-the-ground stories, and recommendations for policies that maintain drinking water access for households facing the greatest economic challenges. 

“There is no universal low-income rate assistance available for families who can’t afford their water bill despite programs existing for other utilities like electricity and broadband,” says Susana De Anda, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Community Water Center. “With some families paying up to 10% of their monthly income on their water bill, it is clear we need leadership at the federal level to deliver much needed relief and make water affordability a reality for communities across the nation.”

The EPA water affordability needs assessment recommends a multi-faceted approach to address the U.S. water affordability crisis, including establishing a national federal low-income water bill assistance program. 

“In Michigan, we see everyday how the water affordability crisis disproportionately impacts low-income and historically disinvested communities,” said Monica Lewis-Patrick, CEO of We the People of Detroit. “We hope the EPA water affordability report spurs action, both in establishing a permanent water bill assistance program to help families in need, but also as a call to action to support water systems with the technical assistance and funding necessary to ensure the increasing costs of delivering safe, reliable water aren’t pushed onto people already struggling to pay their water bills.”

Recently, legislation was introduced in Congress to help deliver safe, affordable water to all. The H2O UP Act of 2024 and AQUA Act of 2024 take holistic approaches to water affordability, incorporating principles from the WECR Caucus’s Water Affordability for All framework. These acts provide necessary infrastructure funding and technical assistance for rural and low-income communities that struggle to provide safe drinking water, and funds permanent water bill assistance for low-income households.

“This EPA assessment shows that we can solve the U.S. water affordability crisis by increasing our investment in the nation’s water infrastructure, providing targeted funding for water systems serving low-income and rural communities, and establishing permanent federal water bill assistance,” Zaerpoor said. “The assessment also shows that while we face gaps in the research, and more data is necessary to fully understand the scale of this crisis, the need is clear. We cannot delay action to make safe, affordable water a reality for all.”

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About the Water Equity and Climate Resilience Caucus
The Water Equity and Climate Resilience (WECR) Caucus is a national network of organizations working to address water equity and climate resilience — centering frontline communities of color and low-income communities.