A Roadmap to Bring Water to 2 Million Americans by 2040

More than 2 million people in the United States live without running water or a working toilet—and the true number could be far higher. It’s a crisis hidden in plain sight, affecting communities from tribal lands and rural Appalachia to border colonias and even neighborhoods just beyond city infrastructure.

In this episode, Kabir Thatte of the Vessel Collective announces a new national roadmap aimed at closing that gap.

Thatte outlines the scale of the issue—families hauling water, unreliable or unaffordable service for tens of millions more, and billions in economic losses tied to inaction. He also explains why the gap has persisted: limited public awareness, fragmented government investment, and a lack of coordinated support for communities trying to build and maintain water systems.

Thatte says the roadmap sets a clear target: universal access to water and sanitation in the U.S. by 2040. It organizes more than 50 strategies into three pillars—visibility, government commitment, and capacity—focused on building public awareness, aligning federal and state action, expanding funding, and strengthening workforce and technical support.

The roadmap is being released as the Vessel Collective convenes water organizations in Washington, D.C., aiming to energize the sector and urge decision makers to accelerate action on water for all.

The conversation also details how progress will be tracked, from near-term coordination and policy movement to long-term systems change, with a central question guiding the effort: are fewer Americans living without water each year?

waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability.