FALL 2025 ISSUE Focus on Health and Environment MISSION Our food, water, and climate are under constant assault by corporations who put profit over the survival of humanity. They have seized control of the very institutions that were built to protect us. We mobilize people to reclaim their political power, hold our elected officials accountable, and resist corporate control — ensuring we all have the essential resources we need to thrive. This is a fight we must win because this planet is the only one we get.
Thank You For Fighting Like You Live Here!
YOU’RE FIGHTING FOR EVERYONE’S RIGHT TO SAFE, LEAD-FREE WATER
FALL 2025 ISSUE Roll Back Lead-Out- of-Water Protections? You Said No Way!
Looking for your next great read, watch, or listen? We’ve got you covered!
Building on 20 Years of Progress, One Gathering at a Time
A MESSAGE FOR YOU Lead in our drinking water is a serious problem in communities nationwide. No amount of lead is safe, especially for our children. That’s why I’m so grateful to you for protecting the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI). The LCRI is essential for public health because it requires most commu- nities to replace lead service lines within a decade. Early this year, Food & Water Watch learned that Republican lawmakers aimed to repeal this important protection. You said, "No way!" and we sprang into action. Through months of rallies, messag- es, and letter deliveries, we won commitments from key lawmakers to oppose the repeal. And now, the deadline for Congress to roll back the regulation has passed. Thank you for making this victory possible! But the fight isn’t over . As of this writing, an industry lawsuit threatens the LCRI , so together, we’re urging the Envi- ronmental Protection Agency Administrator to defend the rule. Let’s keep the pressure on to ensure safe, lead-free water for all!
ROLL BACK LEAD-OUT- OF-WATER PROTECTIONS?
YOU SAID NO WAY!
Cover: Don Hughes is an environmental engineer turned chemistry professor living in Syracuse, New York. Like many cities across the country, Syracuse has lead service lines delivering water to people's homes, schools, and workplaces.
Mary Grant Public Water For All Director
1 | FALL 2025
Syracuse manages lead levels in city water by adding phosphate to the water supply. Don said, "[This treatment] creates a coating of insoluble lead inside the surface of pipes to prevent lead from leaching into the water, as long as it stays put. If the chemistry changes in the water, lead phosphate can be released into the water. This is what happened in Flint, Michigan."
Don lives in a vibrant historic neighborhood near Syracuse University, but maps posted by the city show that the majority of homes in his neighborhood, and others with older houses, have lead pipes.
Right now, millions of families across the country are being poisoned by lead in their drinking water. Yet this year, lawmakers were poised to cancel a vital law that would make our water safer.
Thankfully, Don's water test came back with some good news; his water tested low for lead, but we know that no amount of lead is safe. He says, "The phosphate treatment is working, for the most part, but Syracuse still has high lead levels at many houses. It's been a problem at city schools as well." Syracuse is replacing its lead service lines over the next 10 years and is relying on federal money to help fund it. rule requires public water systems nationwide to identify and replace lead pipes within a decade. It also lowers the level of lead contam- ination at which they must take protective actions. The LCRI was a massive victory for water safety. But Congressional Republicans claimed that lead pipe replacements were too expensive. When the Trump administration took office, these lawmakers aimed to repeal this crucial protection using the fast-track process of the Congressional Review Act. Notably, many of these lawmakers are also pushing tax cuts for
Poisonous pipes There’s no safe level of lead in our drinking water, particularly for children, whose devel- oping bodies are especially vulnerable. Lead exposure can cause devastating health effects, including develop- mental disorders, damage to the nervous system and blood cells, heart disease, and low birth weight. Despite these known dangers, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that approximately 9 million homes
across the U.S. still receive water through toxic lead service lines. Schools and daycares have also found elevated levels in their water, which is especially concerning due to lead’s specific threat to children. Poorer communities and communities of color are more likely to have lead pipes, compounding histori- cal injustices. These old and dangerous pipes must be replaced.
A win for safe water — or so we thought In October 2024, the Biden admin- istration finalized the "Lead Out of Water Rule," called Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI). This game-changing
Not-So-Fun Facts • Iowa is estimated to have 100,000+ lead service lines • New York has 555,000+ • New Jersey has 527,000+ • Pennsylvania has 662,000+ Most states have thousands, even millions, of service lines whose material is a mystery.
Roll Back Lead - continue on Page 3 >
FOOD & WATER WATCH / ACTION — LIVABLE FUTURE NOW | 2
Cities all across the country are relying on federal funding to replace dangerous lead pipes — funding that was in jeopardy earlier this year. Together, we urged lawmakers to protect the Lead and Copper Rules Improvements from repeal and everyone's right to lead-free water — and won! Pictured here are rallies you powered in Eastern Pennsylvania (left) and New Jersey (right). The fight continues While this victory is significant, we’re rolling up our sleeves again. As of this writing, the LCRI is now facing a utility industry lawsuit. Together, we’re calling on the EPA Administrator to vigorously defend the rule. We must ensure everyone has access to safe drinking water.
> Roll Back Lead - continued from Page 2
billionaires and large corpora- tions, putting corporate profits ahead of our health. Because of you, they didn't get away with it You powered an intensive, months-long grassroots campaign led by Food & Water Watch and our allies to defend the LCRI. Together, we urged key lawmak- ers to protect people from lead
poisoning by holding rallies, sending messages, and deliver- ing letters. The people power you built paid off! We won commitments from two lawmakers to oppose the repeal. The deadline for using the fast-track procedures of the Congressional Review Act passed without action, effec- tively killing the repeal attempt. Thank you for fighting for lead-free water!
How You Can Keep Fighting for Safe Water! Urge the EPA Administra- tor to keep protections against lead and PFAS in our water. fwwat.ch/lead-free-water
Why Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) Matter The EPA estimates that the LCRI will prevent up to 1,500 cases of premature death from heart disease and risky low birth weights for up to 900,000 infants each year. The public health and economic benefits outweigh the cost of lead service line replacement 13 to 1.
Meet Mia DiFelice, the writer behind your favorite articles ON THE GROUND If Mia’s name sounds familiar to you, it’s because she’s written countless mission-critical
In school, I studied writing and environmen- tal policy, and I'm still in awe that I get to combine these passions every day at Food & Water Watch! I'm proud to uplift the vital work of our volunteers, lawyers, organizers, researchers, policy team, and allies, while speaking truth to corporate power. My goal with every article is to empower readers with knowledge and inspiration to take action toward a livable future — and I can't do that without generous donors like you! Thank you!
articles to keep you in the know about Food & Water Watch’s work to protect our food, water, and climate. (Check out fwwat.ch/mia to read her latest stories.)
Mia DiFelice
3 | FALL 2025
Looking for your next great read, watch, or listen? We’ve got you covered! Livable Future NOW asked our colleagues to share what they’ve read, watched, or listened to recently that they’d recommend to Food & Water Watch community members like you. Here’s a handful of staff picks!
UPCOMING EVENTS
SEPTEMBER 17 AI’s Hostile Takeover: Big Tech’s Threat to Our Planet and Our Health OCTOBER 15 Livable Future LIVE! is for YOU Our monthly virtual educational series features the latest environmental news and shares what you can do to protect our food, water, and climate — and it’s free to all Food & Water Watch members.
Strict Scrutiny Podcast by Crooked Media
BOOK TALK PICK!
Poisoning the Well: How Forever Chemicals Contaminated America
"This is a podcast by three female law professors [Leah Litman, Kate Shaw, and Melissa Murray]
Book by Sharon Udasin and Rachel Frazin
Dani’s Pick
that I listen to religiously to stay up to date on all the craziness going on at the Supreme Court and in the judicial branch more generally. They're funny, brilliant, and make the legal world a little more accessible for nonlawyers."
Poisoning the Well by Sharon Udasin and Rachel Frazin: An Author Talk
"This book traces the history of PFAS, the toxic 'forever chemicals' you can find in
Save your seat today!
Jeanine’s Pick
everything from mascara to cooking pans — and likely even in your own blood! — and shares what it would take to regulate and eliminate these poisons from our lives."
fwwat.ch/live
The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the
Natural World Book by Robin Wall Kimmerer
GREAT ESCAPE PICK!
The Backyard Bird Chronicles Book by Amy Tan
"Kimmerer shows us that we can all live in true appreciation for
Buy Now: The Shopping Conspiracy Documentary by Netflix
one another and our envi- ronment by grounding ourselves in gratitude, reci- procity, and community. I loved this book so much that I knew it would be the perfect gift for the wonderful people on our Against All Odds benefit host committee." Katie’s Pick
"By admiring and sketching birds in her yard, Tan
"This docu- mentary is about the psychology of marketing and how it feeds an economy
Krissy’s Pick
found a deeper connection to nature, something she needed to find peace in this increasing- ly divided and overwhelming time. What a delightful escape — something I’m sure many of us could use right now!"
Angie’s Pick
that produces insane amounts of waste (and shows us where it goes). It’s really eye-opening!"
FOOD & WATER WATCH / ACTION — LIVABLE FUTURE NOW | 4
DONOR SPOTLIGHT Building on 20 Years of Progress, One Gathering at a Time As Food & Water Watch celebrates our 20th anniversary this year, supporters across the country have found a powerful and fun way to strengthen our work — house parties! Parties with purpose Your fellow members opened their homes to friends and family this year to show how they, too, can join the effort to protect our food, water, and climate. From backyard barbecues in New York, to a garden party in Maryland, and even an Against All Odds virtual conference screening in Iowa, each house party shared a common purpose: to bring Food & Water Watch's critical work directly to their communities. Many of us want to do more to resist the terrible Trump administration, but it can feel over- whelming and hard to know where to start. Our hosts introduced their guests to concrete and effective ways to take action such as petitions to sign, upcoming event information, and how to donate and volunteer. Personal connections build power As we look forward to our next 20 years, strengthening our grassroots movement requires precisely the kind of personal outreach our house party hosts have graciously shown. Our deepest thanks go to every host who grew our community and strengthened our work!
The best part was seeing the diversity of my guests, which included a retired neighbor starting his first vegetable garden, two middle schoolers earning a 'service hour' for environmental science class, and a young mother who persuaded her landlord to let her grow veggies on her balcony. We strengthened longtime friendships and made new friends, and EVERYONE shared their hopes for a greener future. — Susan Lattimore, party host in Maryland (pictured on the left)
Marilyn Elie did a lovely job bringing the local community together as we discussed envi- ronmental threats facing Westchester County, New York, and actions we can take together. We shared amazing food, sunshine, and launched our new banner for the Stop Project Maple campaign! — Melissa Hoffmann, party attendee in New York
JOIN THE FUN! Interested in hosting a Food & Water Watch house party? For more information,
It's always good to spend casual time with other volunteers, and invite friends who are new to Food & Water Watch. Together, we watched the virtual Against All Odds event. And, I encouraged everyone to try my new sangria recipe! — Jan Coderman, party host in Iowa (pictured third from the left)
please reach out to Madeline Kelsey at
mkkelsey@fwwatch.org and visit fwwat.ch/20th
5 | FALL 2025
YOUR FOOD & WATER WATCH AT WORK
ACTION SHOT!
Photo by Evan Clark
Rain or shine, Food & Water Watch marches to make polluters pay!
Earlier this year, we rallied in Altadena, California, along- side community leaders and members, and allies to support the Make Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act. This Act would require fossil fuel corporations to pay their fair share for costs
related to climate-related disasters they’ve contributed to, such as the January Eaton Fire in Los Angeles County. The Eaton Fire was one of the most destructive wildfires in the state's history and hit Altadena particularly hard.
So far this year, the Act passed out of the California Senate Environmental Quality Commit- tee and the Assembly’s Natural Resource Committee. This is people power in action!
FEATURED VICTORY
Thank you for saving Swampbuster!
Scan this QR code to read your fall quarterly victories update and see more of your impact. fwwat.ch/fall25wins See More of Your Generosity at Work! and together, we saved a bedrock environmental law. Thank you!
and protect vital wetlands. Yet a lawsuit filed last spring, CTM Holdings, LLC v. U.S. Depart- ment of Agriculture , tried to end Swampbuster. Food & Water Watch’s legal team and our allies, represent- ing a group of farmers and their families, won a motion to inter- vene late last year to defend Swampbuster in court. In late May, a federal judge ruled in our favor — we won! Because of you, sustainable farmers had a voice in a case that directly impacts them,
Swampbuster is a longstand- ing environmental program that encourages sustainable farming and safeguards clean water. It makes federal funding available to farmers who responsibly steward their land
FOOD & WATER WATCH / ACTION — LIVABLE FUTURE NOW | 6
Clean water is a human right denied to millions of people in this country. Yet, Trump’s EPA is considering rolling back and delaying critical protections to keep poisonous lead and toxic PFAS 'forever chemicals' out of our water. The diseases, developmental disorders, and internal damage caused by lead and PFAS in our water are preventable. Slashing funding and protections will make us sicker. At a time when clean water is under attack from the highest office in the country, your gift today will build more people power — which is what we urgently need right now — to take collective action and fight for everyone’s right to safe, clean water.
YES! I believe everyone has the right to safe, clean water!
Give online today at fwaction.us/fall25LFN or scan this QR code.
I want to protect people from toxins in their water. I want my gift to build a brighter, livable future for all.
I will give by mail. Enclosed is my check to Food & Water Action for:
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