Across the United States, thousands of water and wastewater professionals work every day to deliver essential and affordable services to communities of all sizes. 

Yet access and affordability are not a given for all. While water is typically the lowest-priced utility, nearly 1 in 7 households in the U.S. — or 19 million — lack affordable access to water services. In 2021, Congress created the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program as a temporary, pandemic-era initiative to help eligible households manage overdue water and wastewater bills. When it expired in 2023, many Americans lost access to a key source of federal support. The end of the program did not reflect a resolution of affordability challenges — only the end of temporary relief.