The source of drinking water for over 500,000 people, the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie (SVRP) Aquifer is a natural treasure of North Idaho and Eastern Washington. It deserves to be preserved and protected. Practices such as eliminating septic tanks and pre-treating stormwater over the Aquifer have greatly improved water quality over what it was 40 years ago.

California's water supply system was largely built a generation ago for a state with half the population, and in recent years California's key water supply resources in the Bay Delta and Colorado river are under stress from rising usage, climate change, and long-term geological damage.

In order to reach UN SDG 6, Clean Water and Sanitation, by 2030 in the United States, we need to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for everyone. This includes ensuring access to safe drinking water, improving water quality and water use efficiency, and protecting and restoring freshwater ecosystems.

The majority of the pollution in the Puget Sound region is caused by a rainwater runoff, totaling 14 million pounds of toxins entering the Puget Sound water each year. In order to preserve and restore the clean air, water, and natural areas that make Washington a great place to live, it is necessary to solve the issue of runoff rainwater.

The risk of flooding is increasing. Flood damage losses are expected to increase fourfold by 2050, costing $1 trillion globally. Unfortunately, in dealing with this growing problem those at risk have to rely on predicted flood information, rather than real-time information.

Water is a human right. But, the United States has a water affordability problem. In places like Detroit, Baltimore, and other cities, families unable to afford their water bills have their water shut off. When this happens, kids can't bathe, people can't wash dishes, and grandparents can't flush their toilets.

Clean water and sanitation are basic human rights that shouldn’t be determined by a person’s income or education level. Water crises in the US, from Flint to Newark, came as a shock to some, but lack of access to clean water is more common across the country than it seems.

Access to running water and sanitation is often thought of as an issue of the developing world, but over 2 million Americans face this problem. Those impacted are some of society’s most vulnerable. People without running water or toilets face major health implications as well as food insecurity, inequality, and developmental delays. Water and sanitation are also integral to economic stability.

Humans are making impacts on their environments whether we mean to or not. Tracking that influence is important for telling us how we are changing it and what we can do to reduce our impact on these precious habitats.

Analyzing the quality of water for human consumption can be. time consuming and costly. Having hardware that detects possible changes in water characteristics and distinguishes drinking water from contaminated water can help millions know if what they are drinking is safe.