[WATERFORALL] New Water Directory!

[Guest guest]

Thu, 14 Apr 2005 10:57:55 -0400

" Sara Grusky " <sgrusky

 

 

[WATERFORALL] New Water Directory!

 

 

 

 

News from Public Citizen's Water For All Campaign

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For Immediate Release: Contact: Wenonah Hauter (202) 454-5150

 

April 13, 2005 Erica Hartman (202) 454-5174

 

Public Citizen Launches New Directory of

 

U.S. Groups That Focus on Water Issues

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Public Citizen today released a first-of-its-kind

directory that lists more than 700 groups around the country that are

working to protect public water resources at the local, state or

national level. In an effort to unite the many grassroots

organizations

that often work on a local level, but may not be plugged into a larger

debate on water and how it should be protected and conserved, the

consumer group intends for this new tool to foster a stronger front

against private water companies that are attempting to take over water

systems and resources around the country.

 

While some of the groups listed in the directory are non-profit

organizations with statewide or national recognition, many of the

smaller ad hoc groups operate with little to no funding and no capacity

to call national attention to their local struggle. The directory,

available at http://www.citizen.org/documents/WATERDIRECTORY.pdf, is

organized geographically and lists groups' names, addresses, phone

numbers and Web sites. It should prove helpful to journalists who cover

water issues and are seeking comment from local, state or national

organizations. A hard copy also can be purchased for $15 plus shipping

by calling (202) 454-5124. Reporters may request a complimentary copy

by calling (202) 454-5174.

 

" Citizens are banding together in communities everywhere these days,

trying to protect their public water from private companies on the hunt

for new profit sources, " said Wenonah Hauter, director of Public

Citizen's Water for All Campaign. " John Doe in Michigan doesn't know

Jane Doe in California, but they're both working towards a sustainable

water future. We hope this directory will bring them together because

they'll be stronger if they can help each other. "

 

With increased attention to this year's World Water Day on March 22,

the

issue is now bubbling to the surface in many communities around the

country. While other countries, such as Bolivia and Ghana, have long

struggled for access to clean and affordable drinking water, people in

the United States have had the luxury of safe and cheap tap water

thanks

to a national infrastructure built and maintained by local governments

for nearly a century.

 

However, the population at large might soon be facing similar

challenges

in the United States. A funding gap for water and wastewater systems

is

leading local municipalities to turn systems over to private companies.

By some estimates, it will cost $20 billion annually for the next 20

years to build, repair and maintain water infrastructure. Instead of

increasing funding to secure our water future, Congress is seeking

deeper cuts to federal loans and grants.

 

Privatized water is still an exception to the rule in the United

States,

where approximately 85 percent of the water that comes out of a tap is

delivered by a publicly owned and operated water system. A recent Luntz

survey (http://www.citizen.org/documents/Luntz.pdf) confirmed that U.S.

citizens view water not only as a crucial resource that should be

managed in the long-term public interest, but a human right. In

contrast, corporations view it as market they need to crack.

 

" In cities large and small, from New Orleans to Lee, Mass., these

companies have faced dynamic and talented opposition from community

groups dedicated to protecting water from corporate control, " said

Hauter. " Those grassroots groups are what the companies fear most. "

 

Corporate efforts thus far have led to showcase debacles such as

Atlanta, Ga., to Stockton, Calif., where residents have faced increased

water rates, poor maintenance and repair, and loss of local control

when

private water companies took over municipal water systems.

 

" This directory illustrates that there are a lot of citizens' groups in

the U.S. who are concerned about water, " said Hauter. " Everyone needs

water to survive, which is strong motivation to get involved in what's

going on in your community. "

 

###

 

Sara Grusky

Water for All Campaign

Public Citizen

Phone: (202) 454-5133

Website: www.wateractivist.org

 

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To to Water For All, send an email to

listserv with " Waterforall " in the

message.

 

 

 

For more information on the Water For All Campaign please visit

http://www.citizen.org/cmep/