Join the fight for safe water

Everyone deserves safe water to drink. But more than ten million Americans, from Maine to California, are likely drinking well water contaminated with dangerous chemicals and environmental toxins.

Unsafe well water is an environmental injustice, with disproportionate impacts on rural Americans’ health, including indigenous people, Latinx communities, and low-wealth families.

We’re working for a world where all families have access to safe drinking water.

Join Our Campaigns for Safe Water

Close the Loophole on Household Wells

We’re working to close the loophole in the Safe Drinking Water Act that excludes the more than 45 million Americans who rely on household wells. Learn more

Expand Water Testing

Nationally, over 10 million people may be drinking unsafe water because they lack the knowledge or resources to test their well water. We’re working to change that. Learn more

Strengthen the Health Standards for Drinking Water

We’re pushing for truly health-protective drinking water standards, to protect children and families from dangerous toxic chemicals in their water. Learn more

Making a difference

“Working with Defend Our Health helped me stand up for my family and tell our story about arsenic in our well water. With their help, I was able to make a difference not just for my family’s health, but for my neighbors and my community.”

—Wendy Brennan, mother of two in Mt. Vernon, Maine

Our Victories

We can build a healthier future where all families have safe water to drink. We’ve already won important victories for safe water.

  • In 2017, we helped pass a law creating a $500,000 fund to make sure all families, no matter how much money they make, have access to well water treatment to make sure their water is safe.
  • That same year, we also helped pass a law that expanded outreach and education on the importance of well water testing and treatment across Maine.
  • In 2019 and 2020, our executive director Mike Belliveau served on the Maine Governor’s PFAS Task Force, which recommended the state take action to expand water testing, investigate PFAS-contaminated sites, and phase out existing uses of PFAS to prevent future pollution.