The Daily Drip

The Lead

Tiverton, RIPFAS, the forever chemicalsPrivate wells1The right to safety

Eighty-seven families can't trust their own tap

What’s going on

A state test of a church well in Tiverton, Rhode Island turned up PFAS at about 4,000 parts per trillion, the highest reading ever recorded in the state. As of mid-September, 87 of the 157 private wells tested nearby were over Rhode Island's 20 ppt limit. Officials suspect firefighting foam used at a local fire station. USDA approved $1 million in emergency money for a water line, and crews are racing to finish before the ground freezes.

Our take

Private wells aren't covered by federal drinking water rules. Nobody tests them unless somebody goes looking. These families found out because the state happened to test a church. That's the gap: the law protects the water system, not the person at the end of the pipe.

Read the original reporting: Hoodline

What you can do

1. On a well? Get it testedOpens the tool
2. Ask which PFAS your utility testsGet the words

   To: your water utility. Fill in the brackets, then send it by email or read it at a meeting.

   Hi, I’m a customer at [your address]. Which PFAS does our water system test for, how often, and what were the latest results for each? What’s the plan if any are over the limits? Please answer in writing. Thank you.Copy the words
3. See your system’s PFAS results (EPA UCMR 5)Opens the tool

The Guardian DeclarationBecome a Guardian. It’s free. Sign the Declaration and get The Right to Know.AquaCivics™ tableHost a table on PFAS, the forever chemicals. We’ll bring the data.

1. Newton & Fayette counties, GAData centers and our waterWho’s accountable?Drought, aquifers and supply4The right to be heard

   In Georgia, the water ran brown. Then it ran out.

   On September 1, four Newton County families sued Meta, saying construction for its $1 billion data center stirred up the aquifer and filled their wells with silt.

   Our take, and what you can do

   What’s going on

   On September 1, four Newton County families sued Meta, saying construction for its $1 billion data center stirred up the aquifer and filled their wells with silt. Meta says its own study shows groundwater flows away from those homes and that it uses utility water. Twenty miles south of Atlanta in Fayette County, a QTS data center ran nearly 30 million gallons through two unmetered connections. Residents found it when their water pressure dropped. QTS paid $147,474 after the fact. No fine.

   Our take

   In both cases the people living next door were the monitoring system. They noticed muddy water and weak pressure before any agency noticed anything. Georgia is approving data centers faster than anyone is measuring their water. If neighbors are the alarm, neighbors need the data.

   Read the original reporting: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and E&E News

   What you can do

   1. Ask for the data center’s water numbersGet the words

      To: your county commission. Fill in the brackets, then send it by email or read it at a meeting.

      Hi, I live at [your address]. For the data center proposed or operating in our county: how many gallons a day will it use at full build, from which source, who meters it, and is any of it covered by a nondisclosure agreement? Please answer in writing before the vote. Thank you.Copy the words
   2. See what’s planned near youOpen
   3. Share this storyShare

   The Guardian DeclarationBecome a Guardian. It’s free. Sign the Declaration and get The Right to Know.AquaCivics™ tableHost a table on Data centers and our water. We’ll bring the data.
2. NationwideCorporate water promisesData centers and our water2The right to be informed

   Amazon wants to be your neighbor. It brought a gift.

   On October 2, Amazon Web Services pledged more than $1 billion over five years to the communities around its U.S.

   Our take, and what you can do

   What’s going on

   On October 2, Amazon Web Services pledged more than $1 billion over five years to the communities around its U.S. data centers, for schools, job training, energy bills, and water and energy preservation. It says it will be "water positive" by 2030 and is 75% of the way there. The pledge lands as more than 100 data center moratoriums are under consideration across the country.

   Our take

   A pledge is not a meter. "Water positive" is a company-wide average, and an average can hide a dry county behind a wet one. The question for every town is simple: how much water will this building use, from where, and who checks? Ask for the number, site by site.

   Read the original reporting: Northeast Times

   What you can do

   1. Ask for site-level water numbersGet the words

      To: the company. Fill in the brackets, then send it by email or read it at a meeting.

      Hi, I live near your [facility] in [place]. How many gallons does this site withdraw and consume each year, from which source, and how does your water-positive goal apply here, not just company-wide? Thank you.Copy the words
   2. Share this storyShare
   3. Check what’s in your waterEnter your ZIP

   The Guardian DeclarationBecome a Guardian. It’s free. Sign the Declaration and get The Right to Know.AquaCivics™ tableHost a table on Corporate water promises. We’ll bring the data.
3. Washington, DCPFAS, the forever chemicals1The right to safety

   Six forever chemicals had a limit. Now two do.

   In May, EPA said it will keep national drinking water limits for PFOA and PFOS and rescind the limits it set in 2024 for four others: PFHxS, PFNA, PFBS and GenX.

   Our take, and what you can do

   What’s going on

   In May, EPA said it will keep national drinking water limits for PFOA and PFOS and rescind the limits it set in 2024 for four others: PFHxS, PFNA, PFBS and GenX. Utilities that qualify get until 2031 to meet the two that stay. EPA points to $5 billion over five years in grants for small and disadvantaged systems.

   Our take

   Read this next to the Tiverton story. The chemicals didn't change. The rules did. When a federal limit goes away, your state's limit and your own testing are the protection left. Know which PFAS your utility tests for, not just whether it "meets standards."

   Read the original reporting: Waste Dive

   What you can do

   1. Track the ruleOpens the tool
   2. Ask which PFAS your utility testsGet the words

      To: your water utility. Fill in the brackets, then send it by email or read it at a meeting.

      Hi, I’m a customer at [your address]. Which PFAS does our water system test for, how often, and what were the latest results for each? What’s the plan if any are over the limits? Please answer in writing. Thank you.Copy the words
   3. See your system’s PFAS results (EPA UCMR 5)Opens the tool

   The Guardian DeclarationBecome a Guardian. It’s free. Sign the Declaration and get The Right to Know.AquaCivics™ tableHost a table on PFAS, the forever chemicals. We’ll bring the data.
4. NationwideLead pipes1The right to safety

   Is there lead under your street? 6,300 water systems can't say.

   Thousands of U.S.

   Our take, and what you can do

   What’s going on

   Thousands of U.S. water systems still haven't turned in the lead pipe inventories the law required in 2024. The 6,300 systems behind on it serve 3.8 million people, and most of them are small. About 4 million homes and businesses are still on lead lines, and roughly one service line in five is a mystery. Starting in 2027, utilities have to replace 10% of their lead lines every year.

   Our take

   You can't replace a pipe you can't find. If your utility's list says "unknown" for your address, that is not a clean bill of health. It's a question nobody has answered yet. Utilities update their public lists every November 16. Look yours up.

   Read the original reporting: Hoodline and AP via U.S. News

   What you can do

   1. Ask if your pipe is leadGet the words

      To: your water utility. Fill in the brackets, then send it by email or read it at a meeting.

      Hi, I’m a customer at [your address]. On your service line inventory, is my line lead, galvanized, copper or unknown? If it’s lead or unknown, when is it scheduled to be replaced? Please answer in writing. Thank you.Copy the words
   2. Check what’s in your waterEnter your ZIP
   3. Share this storyShare

   The Guardian DeclarationBecome a Guardian. It’s free. Sign the Declaration and get The Right to Know.AquaCivics™ tableHost a table on Lead pipes. We’ll bring the data.
5. North CarolinaDrought, aquifers and supplyWater-energy nexus5The right to basic needs

   Kerr Lake is eleven feet low.

   As of October 1, 62 North Carolina counties are in some stage of drought, with parts of Guilford and Rockingham counties in the worst category.

   Our take, and what you can do

   What’s going on

   As of October 1, 62 North Carolina counties are in some stage of drought, with parts of Guilford and Rockingham counties in the worst category. Kerr Lake sits nearly 11 feet below normal, its fifth-lowest level on record, and hydropower there is down 44%. Water systems in the hardest-hit areas are under shortage plans and reporting their use weekly.

   Our take

   Drought turns every other water story up. Less water means pollutants are more concentrated and every new big user matters more. This is the backdrop for every data center permit in the Southeast this fall.

   Read the original reporting: NC Department of Environmental Quality

   What you can do

   1. Check your area's drought levelOpens the tool
   2. Find NC water restrictionsOpens the tool
   3. Share this storyShare

   The Guardian DeclarationBecome a Guardian. It’s free. Sign the Declaration and get The Right to Know.AquaCivics™ tableHost a table on Drought, aquifers and supply. We’ll bring the data.

• PFAS, the forever chemicals1The right to safety

  Indiana American Water is handing customers nearly $75 each in PFAS settlement credits.

  Indiana · PR Newswire
• Data centers and our water4The right to be heard

  Back in June, drought-hit Georgia asked data centers to cut their water use. Asked, not required.

  Georgia · Bloomberg Law
• Data centers and our water4The right to be heard

  An independent analysis says data center water use will run far higher than tech companies claim.

  Wisconsin · Clean Wisconsin

Today’s water, by right

Every story is filed under one of the eight consumer rights. Today’s edition touched 4 of the eight; each glass fills with its stories. This count feeds the Water Rights Index™.

1. 4
   The right to safety
2. 1
   The right to be informed
3. 0
   The right to choose
4. 3
   The right to be heard
5. 1
   The right to basic needs
6. 0
   The right to redress
7. 0
   The right to education
8. 0
   The right to a healthy environment

Guardian Season · Mar 15 – Jun 5, 2027

Spring 2027 Guardian Season opens on World Consumer Rights Day.

Become a Guardian. It’s free.

Sign the Guardian Declaration and get The Right to Know, the eight rights behind every glass of water, plus The Daily Drip every weekday morning.

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