Programs

The program areas described below represent the major components of Clean Water Fund's integrated, innovative strategy for assuring:

  • safe, affordable drinking water;
  • control of community and workplace toxic hazards;
  • protection and conservation of wetlands, surface waters, coastal areas, groundwater and other critical natural resources;
  • safe waste management practices; and
  • protection of public health and environmental safety for all citizens.

These programs are conducted from a national office in Washington, D.C. and from locally staffed field offices serving multi-state regions around the country.

Pollution Prevention: Persistent Poisons

Fiscally and environmentally sound solutions for managing garbage and hazardous wastes - such as re-use and recycling, waste reduction, toxics use reduction, and composting - solutions which reduce the volume and toxicity of the waste stream.

Innovative approaches that reduce the environmental health impacts of toxic and hazardous chemicals by reducing or eliminating their use, with a special emphasis on pesticide safety and mercury contamination problems.

Environmentally-informed decision-making by individual and institutional consumers, including the provision of training and information on safer alternatives to products, purchasing, storage and disposal practices which may create environmental and health threats.

In 1998-1999, Clean Water Fund launched an innovative new policy development and citizen education project starting in New England, to protect public health from environmental harm through the Precautionary Principle, and to educate parents and the public about preventing toxic exposure that may contribute to learning and developmental disabilities in children.

Clean Water Fund also provides scientific and technical assistance to citizen volunteers and community organizations as they work to resolve complex scientific and technical questions on health & safety, water and toxic hazards.

Watershed Protection
Trainings Offered

Clean Water Fund's program, Making Connections – From Watershed to Water Tap, is offering free training sessions for citizens on how to protect their drinking water supply and watersheds. Participants in the trainings will learn how to use two existing tools to improve local watershed protection – the Consumer Confidence Reports (CCRs) and the Source Water Assessment Program (SWAP) reports. The training session takes about 2.5 hours. The purpose of the trainings is to empower citizens, educate them on what could possibly contaminate their water and give them the skills to do something about it.

Clean Water fund organizes the trainings in cooperation with local watershed groups, stream teams, land conservation organizations, or other local citizen groups interested in watershed protection. The CCR, if done properly, is a useful tool to inform the public about the sources of drinking water supply, what contaminants have been found in the drinking water, and what the sources of these contaminants might be. The SWAP reports delineate the sources of water supply and threats to water quality, and will provide recommendations on how to reduce the threats of contamination.

For more information, or to set up a training in your area contact Mike Davis:
Tel: 617-338-8131
E-mail at mdavis@cleanwater.org
Post:
Clean Water Fund
36 Bromfield St. #204
Boston, MA 02108

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Clean and Safe Water

Integrated solutions for clean and safe water that protect drinking water for residential consumers and that also protect the natural areas from which water supplies are drawn (wetlands, forested watersheds, rivers, lakes and streams).

Protection of underground water resources, and to ensure supplies of safe, affordable, drinking water for more than 100 million Americans who depend on groundwater for their household water needs.

Efficient and cost effective methods for meeting peoples' needs for safe, clean drinking water supplies and balancing recreation, environmental, business, agricultural and residential demands on limited water supplies.

Protection of coastal and inland waterways, their tributaries, and the complex ecosystems, local economies, and communities dependent on them, with a special emphasis on protecting the health, welfare and quality of life for residents and users of coastal and shorefront areas.

Sound management of the nation's land and water resources, including the preservation of wetlands, forest ecosystems, open space and other critical habitat areas, stores of biodiversity, and other sources of economic and quality of life benefit for people.

Clean Water Fund continued to expand its new series of new Clean and Safe Water program initiatives promoting integrated approaches for resource protection and drinking water safety. These programs combine and expand on earlier programs for clean, safe and affordable drinking water and for land and water resources protection and conservation.

Sustainable Energy

Clean Water Fund's efforts to reduce power plant pollution and to encourage development of less polluting alternatives continued to grow, with programs in the Midwest, Southwest and Northeast, and will remain top priorities for the coming year. Clean Water Fund is developing new energy consumer education initiatives and engaging in electric utility industry deregulation debates to insure a level playing field for clean power production that creates jobs and protects the environment.

Environment – Economy Initiatives

Clean Water Fund initiated and continues to develop new programs in the areas of materials reuse and recycled market development, job creating environmental infrastructure (e.g. sewage and drinking water facilities); innovative fees, pollution charges, and funding strategies to support cost effective environmental investments and reward pollution prevention; and other environment-economy issues including trade-related environmental concerns. Clean Water Fund is promoting "smart growth" development to rebuild community cores in urban areas and small towns and combat costly and destructive sprawl.

Research, Training, Outreach Education

Programs conducted by locally based staff around the country to promote the improved capacity and capability of citizens to participate effectively in activities protecting their overall health and welfare against environmental risk and damage. These programs include a special emphasis on cooperative assistance and support for communities facing disproportionate risk from environmental hazards, which is often related to economic and racial/ethnic discrimination, such support aimed at helping people in these situation develop the skills, information base and organizational development to become effective environmental health and safety advocates.