drinking water

Data from the American Dental Association estimates a nearly $507 million price tag over five years in dental care costs for Oklahomans if fluoride were removed from community water systems.

Quick-growing blooms of bacteria and algae have long been a hazard in lakes and rivers, because of the toxins they produce. Fueled in part by agricultural runoff, these blooms are also threatening public water systems, making water temporarily unusable, and forcing some cities and towns to take costly preventive measures.

Settlement payments from chemical companies are helping cities pay for expensive PFAS removal technology. But local leaders say the dollars often fall short of covering the full costs to clean up drinking water.

Guymon's Mesa Water Project is expected to deliver its first drops to the city in October of next year.

Texas lawmakers convened in a rapidly growing part of West Texas to sign new legislation aimed at addressing a looming water crisis across the state.

If you're thirsty for knowledge, it's time to drink up: public water supplies are federally required to make water quality reports available by the end of June.

Gov. Greg Abbott has made water a priority for this legislative session. Lawmakers will debate whether to invest more into new water supplies or repairing old, leaking pipes around Texas.

Nonprofit, public policy organizations including Texas 2036 and the Texas Water Association have made water infrastructure one of their priorities this legislative session.

Recent studies have found elevated levels of nitrate in drinking water correlates with health issues like cancer and thyroid disease — even below what current federal standards deem as safe. But health research necessary to take federal action is slow-going, and some environmental health experts are concerned officials aren’t acting fast enough.

Native American communities often lack the resources to upgrade drinking and wastewater infrastructure. The Santee Sioux Nation in Nebraska is an extreme example — living without safe drinking water for four years.