It’s been a busy #WaterWeek as #WECRCaucus members met with Congress to advance solutions for #SafeAffordableWater.
Rose Poton of Verde spent the week on the Hill calling for investment in clean, affordable drinking water.
Grateful to everyone for carrying this work forward at the federal level!
Kennedy Moore of @nolawater.bsky.social is on the Hill for #WaterWeek advocating for water infrastructure and long-term federal partnership.
She emphasized the need for consistent programs supporting water protection and technical assistance.
#WECRCaucus #SafeAffordableWater
Norell Hemphill of We the People of Detroit is in DC for #WaterWeek advocating for clean, #SafeAffordableWater for all.
She’s calling for continued investment in #LIHWAP, a program that helps families afford their water bills and keep their water on.
#WECRCaucus #SafeAffordableWater
For #WaterWeek, Jessica Dandridge-Smith of @nolawater.bsky.social is advocating for a permanent federal solution to water affordability.
She’s calling on Congress to reauthorize and strengthen #LIHWAP, which helps families pay their water bills.
#WECRCaucus #SafeAffordableWater
During #WaterWeek, community voices are front and center.
Brittany Rivas of Communities for a Better Environment traveled from Southeast LA to advocate for water infrastructure funding and a permanent affordability program.
#WECRCaucus #SafeAffordableWater
For #WaterWeek, local voices are shaping national water conversations.
Guadalupe Fernandez and Usman Mahmood of @bayoucitywk.bsky.social are advocating for infrastructure investment and a permanent federal water assistance program alongside the #WECRCaucus.
It’s #WaterWeek in DC 🌊
#WECRCaucus members are on the Hill advancing federal solutions for #SafeAffordableWater.
Jessica Pizarek, Yazmin Zaerpoor, & Katy Lackey of PolicyLink are calling for investment in infrastructure & long-term solutions.
🔗 www.climatewaterequity.org/water-week-2...
Advocacy selfie! Coalition ED, Shantha Ready Alonso caught up with Fresh Water Working Group co-leads, Usman Mahmood (Bayou City Waterkeeper) and Martin Castro (Rio Grande International Study Center) during their busy Water Week.
We love to see the #WECRCaucus out in DC for #WaterWeek.
Join us in spreading the word for #SafeAffordableWater at the federal level with our toolkit here: app.sosha.ai/toolkit/eb9e...
Water is essential. It should be affordable for everyone. Yet, 1 in 7 people in the U.S. have unaffordable water bills.
During #WaterWeek, the Water Equity & Climate Resilience Caucus (#WECRCaucus) is calling for federal action. Congress must act to make water affordability a national priority.
NEWS ➡️ Reps. Tlaib and @debbiedingell.house.gov just introduced the Water Access & Affordability Act to create a permanent federal assistance program at the EPA. Now, Congress must act.
For #WaterWeek, we're joining the #WECRCaucus to uplift this step toward #SafeAffordableWater.
🎬 Join us for a powerful film premiere!
Be the first to watch "Ever Flowing", a short film exploring the urgent effort to restore salmon populations in the Snake River Basin.
🗓 April 16
⏰ 12:00 PM PT
💻 Free & virtual
📲 Register: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_qctR...
#WaterAffordability goes beyond the bill, as families nationwide navigate aging infrastructure, underinvestment, & climate pressure.
Join the #WECRCaucus for a virtual screening with stories from Laredo, TX and Martin County, KY + Q&A.
📅 April 9, 1pm PT / 4pm ET
Register: na2.hubs.ly/H04kwRJ0
#DataCenters’ water use isn’t just on-site.
As Kirsten James of @ceresorg.bsky.social explains, energy use is a major part of the story. A new Ceres report finds indirect water use can be up to 12x higher than cooling.
Full media briefing recap on our blog: waterhub.org/briefing-dat...
Every #WaterWeek, we ask people to take action for #WaterAffordabilityForAll. This year, we're asking you to join the #WECRCaucus on 4/9 to hear from residents & local leaders navigating aging infrastructure and underinvestment.
Register for the virtual screening here: na2.hubs.ly/H04kwRJ0
Sharing a few related pieces from Bayou City Waterkeeper on Proposition 4:
🔹 Prop 4 explainer: www.instagram.com/p/DP9AueokibU/
🔹 Ariel Viera’s video on Prop 4 w/BCWK: www.instagram.com/reel/DQ4rGIA...
🔹 Univision coverage on early voting and Prop 4: www.instagram.com/reel/DQLKEpg...
ICYMI, our friends at @bayoucitywk.bsky.social were quoted in @thenation.com in a piece on #WaterInfrastructure in TX. Usman Mahmood & Sade Hogue speak to fixing aging systems, protecting public health, and how #Prop4 funding will be used.
More from Lajward Zahra: www.thenation.com/article/envi...
Thanks to everyone who joined us for our media briefing on data centers, or followed along here! We will have the recording and transcript available soon.
We've seen companies implement cooling technologies that reduce water usage, but Kirsten of @ceresorg.bsky.social says it's important to dive deeper. We need to think cumulatively and look at local watersheds for more context, especially with so much rapid growth.
Community benefits agreements are key. FYI, they're legally binding contracts between a developer in a community and a government entity to ensure that an incoming project delivers the best possible benefit for the community in terms of jobs, water, local hiring requirements, etc.
"There's a real necessity for local elected officials to pay attention to community concerns and design a process that actually feels democratic." - @stevenrenderos.bsky.social
The promise of data center jobs are attractive to local governments, but @stevenrenderos.bsky.social of @mediajustice.bsky.social notes that local governments are spending roughly $2M per permanent job that's created to attract data centers to their towns. All in all, that's not a great trade-off.
In terms of metrics to keep your eye on, one of them is "water use effectiveness," measured in liters per kilowatt hours. This can be a great comparative metric for data centers.
He also recommends @alliancegreatlakes.bsky.social's Data Center playbook for resources: greatlakes.org/2026/03/data...
In the places that @mediajustice.bsky.social is organizing, they've seen more exploration of water ordinances, temporary moratoriums, and a push for transparent public processes so communities can consider what's in their best interest. It's hard to create policy when things are already being built.
This is also an opportunity to spark a greater conversation about other large water users, she says. Tracking cumulative impact and practicing good coordination among water utilities, energy providers, states, and cities is key to supporting sustainable and responsible, long-term growth.
Kirsten notes that there's considerable policy momentum in recent months. Her team at @ceresorg.bsky.social has identified at least a dozen standalone state bills proposing things like water use disclosure or restrictions.
@stevenrenderos.bsky.social: "There is a push at this moment to build data centers at a scale that hasn't happened before, using quantities of water and electricity that are just unprecedented."
He also notes that while data centers aren't new, the current erosion of planning and public process is.
@pablowater.bsky.social says all data centers aren't built the same. Data centers aren't new or limited to generative AI, and some even have beneficial applications. However, the scale of generative AI centers are creating new problems: water and energy usage, noise/environmental pollution, etc.
Data centers are often built in clusters, says Kirsten, and these clusters pop up in already water-stressed areas. While one data individual data center may have limited impact on supplies, there's a much greater risk when we look at all the data centers coming into an already-stressed basin.
"It's really critical that media explores the full suite of potential impacts on water supplies, especially in water-stressed areas like the Western United States." - Kirsten James, @ceresorg.bsky.social
