Advocates Raise U.S. Water Quality, Access and Pollution as a Civil Rights Issue with the UN

Advocates have raised the issues of U.S. water quality, access and pollution as a civil rights issue with the UN, and outlined five areas where the U.S. has failed to meet standards under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on water. The first area is “Water Privatization and Shutoffs: According to a recent Food & Water Watch survey, an estimated 15 million U.S. residents lost water service due to nonpayment in 2016. Meanwhile, privately-owned utility service costs the typical U.S. household 59% more than public water service. Private water utilities have frequently refused to provide basic metrics including information about water shutoffs for nonpayment.”