The Issue
Water
Many Americans’ drinking water contains contaminants, and bottled water makers don’t fully disclose the source or purity of their water. EWG is the place to go for information about your water.
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The Latest on Water
In an unprecedented analysis of 20 million drinking water quality tests performed by water utilities between 2004 and 2009, EWG found that water suppliers had detected a total of 316 contaminants in water delivered to the public. The pollutants detected included 202 chemicals that have no mandatory safety standards for tap water, which were found in water supplied to approximately 132 million people in 9,454 communities across the country. These unregulated chemicals include the weed killer metolachlor.
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When people ask what kind of water filter to use for their tapwater, we reply, "It depends on what contaminants are present in your tap water, since different filters are effective at removing different contaminants."
Read MoreMississippi River and Gulf of Mexico watershed informational slides.
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Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) introduced legislation today aimed at reducing pollution that has endangered the Chesapeake Bay watershed for over 25 years. The Chesapeake Clean Water and Ecosystem Restoration Act will give state and federal governments more power and funding to clean up pollution from agriculture sources and metropolitan storm run-off.
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Remarks by Environmental Working Group Midwest Vice-President Craig Cox to the Mississippi River Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force Public Meeting.
Read MoreUSA Today, Michelle Healy
Published January 9, 2002
Millions of Americans have been drinking tap water contaminated with chemical byproducts from chlorine that are far more than what studies suggest may be safe for pregnant women, two environmental groups say in a study. Chlorine is commonly used to disinfect drinking water. When it is added to water that contains organic matter such as runoff from farms or lawns, however, it can form compounds such as chloroform that can cause illness.
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Fresno Bee, Mark Grossi
Published March 17, 2005
The federal government is promising 43% more water for California farmers in new irrigation contracts, meaning new dams would have to be built in the next two decades, a new environmental report warns.
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US Fed News
Published May 24, 2005
The office of Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wis., issued the following press release: Sen. Russ Feingold has introduced legislation that could help save $2.5 billion over the next five years.
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Sacramento Bee, Jim Wasserman
Published August 1, 2005
A national environmental group critical of farm subsidies said Tuesday that more than 1,200 Central Valley farms received federally subsidized water to grow subsidized crops in 2002.
Read MoreFresno Bee, Dennis Pollock and Robert Rodriguez
Published August 2, 2005
Many farms in California's Central Valley Water Project are "double dipping" in taxpayer pockets by using subsidized water to grow subsidized crops, a watchdog group charged Tuesday.
Read MoreAssociated Press, Terence Chea
Published August 2, 2005
Some of California's largest farms receive millions of dollars in federal subsidies by "double dipping" - using government-subsidized water to grow subsidized crops such as rice and cotton, according to a watchdog group's analysis.
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Associated Press (+ 60 outlets), Garance Burke
Published May 29, 2007
Some of the nation's largest farming operations are paying rock-bottom rates for the electricity they use to pump federally subsidized water to their fields.
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Central Valley Business Times
Published May 29, 2007
Some Central Valley farms are paying pennies for the electricity needed to deliver irrigation water, claims a report Wednesday from the Environmental Working Group, which describes itself as “a non-profit, non-partisan organization” that gets the majority of its funding from private charitable foundations.
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The Fresno Bee, Mark Grossi
Published May 29, 2007
Farmers in the Westlands Water District are underpaying to the tune of $71 million annually on cheap electricity for federal water deliveries, says an environmental watchdog group.
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Des Moines Register
Published July 14, 2007
Work on the 2007 farm bill comes at an exciting time for agriculture in America. Adding energy crops as a third major source of income, along with food and fiber, has the potential to profoundly change the economics of agriculture, boost incomes and revitalize the countryside.
Read MoreMaking good on Administrator Lisa Jackson’s confirmation promise, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is moving ahead with its deliberations on whether to impose the first national limits on drinking water contamination by perchlorate, the main component of solid rocket fuel.
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Minneapolis Star Tribune
Published September 18, 2006
The idea that agriculture has become a major source of pollution in the Mississippi River will startle many Midwesterners. But it's no surprise to the government's top environmental regulators.
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New Standard, Jessica Azulay
Published April 11, 2006
Every summer, a huge swell of algae spreads through the Gulf of Mexico and then dies, smothering aquatic life in its wake. Scientists have documented this expanding "dead zone" since the early 1970s, finding that in recent years it has grown to an average of 14,000 square miles of ocean.
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