English

The campaign to have water declared a human right was dramatically advanced at the United Nations on July 28, 2010, when a large majority voted for a resolution to recognize the human right to water and sanitation. Canada, the US, and 39 other countries abstained.

More than three decades after the Clean Water Act, two iconic waterways—the great coastal estuaries of Puget Sound and the Chesapeake Bay—are in perilous condition. With polluted runoff still flowing in from industry, agriculture and massive suburban development, scientists fear contamination to the food chain and drinking water for millions of people.