power to ensure that women.
♪
>> Welcome back to KPRC, 2.
Plus, when it comes to access
to clean water, you may think that’s a problem outside the
that’s a problem outside the
U.S.. But there are places in
this country where people go
without.
>> According to a new report
released today by the water advocacy group and Dig Deep,
advocacy group and Dig Deep,
at least 2.2 million Americans
do not have a tap or toilet in
their home. Now joining us this
morning to tell us more about
America’s hidden water crisis is George McGraw, founder and
is George McGraw, founder and
CEO of Dig George, good
morning. How are you doing?
Good morning on a fine. How are
you? Good. Thanks for being
with us this morning. So can
you can you get us started with
the key findings of this report.
>> Absolutely said this report
looked at the economic impact
of this crisis, which of
course, you know, with
inflation where it is, we’re
all really aware of our household budgets for those
household budgets for those
2.2 million Americans live
without water and sanitation is
causing them real money every
day and it’s costing the U.S. economy. 8.5 billion dollars
economy. 8.5 billion dollars
every year that we leave this
gap open. But the good news in
the report is that for every
dollar we invest in closing, it
looks like we get about $5 back
>> Well, George, where is this problem most prevalent and what
problem most prevalent and what
does daily live look like for
those without access to clean
water?
>> It really is stunning that this problem exists in the
this problem exists in the
richest country on earth and
it’s in all 50 states. We found
that race is the strongest
predictor of this problem.
If you’re indigenous year, 19
times more likely not to have
running water than a white family. If you’re black or
family. If you’re black or
Latino, you’re twice as likely
and there are pockets of You
know, we see it a lot on the
reservations in U.S. border communities in Appalachia and
communities in Appalachia and
the Deep South and Central
Valley of California. But
really, it impacts every part
of someone’s life. You know,
you wake up in the morning
wondering how will I get enough
clean water for me and my family to survive the day and
family to survive the day and
if you’re lucky, you can get
bottled water from the storm.
But a lot of folks are leaving
the house with a bucket and
just pulling water out of a pond or stream or a mine shaft
pond or stream or a mine shaft
and making it work and is
considered the just my mind
races that you how unsafe that
can be. I that’s the human side
of it. What about like the
economic costs of this crisis? >> Well, you can imagine if
>> Well, you can imagine if
you’re, you know, pulling water
out of the environment. This is
causing water borne illnesses
actually causing diabetes
because people have easier access to Soto, then to water.
access to Soto, then to water.
>> It’s causing mental health
It’s causing death. All of
these things have an economic
impact and the total up to about 8.5, 8 billion a year or
about 8.5, 8 billion a year or
about $15,800 per family.
That’s in many cases. More than
those families make every year.
Now.
>> More access to soda, an
actual drinking water at George. Yeah. Yeah. What would
George. Yeah. Yeah. What would
it take to close this water
access gap?
>> Well, you know, a lot of
people don’t know about it.
And so the work in this report
is to get this in front of the American public in front of
American public in front of
policymakers and to show them
that if we invest dollars,
especially federal dollars in
closing this gap, you know, we
can see a massive economic
return, which, you know, with a
sort of a looming recession, seems like an incredible way
seems like an incredible way
to make an investment that
would really boost the economy
we need to see organizations
and communities come together
advocate for this change and
get in front of members of
Congress and the White House
until we can close this gap
for good.
>> It’s obviously such an
important cause, George, I’m
curious, what was that
inspired? You to go ahead and
found this nonprofit?
>> You know, I always thought
that if you want to work on
water issues, you have to work
in other countries in my career
started in Africa. But I was
introduced to this incredible
woman on the Navajo Nation in
Darlene, a school bus driver
who would Parker school bus
after her morning route and
drive a pickup truck and
deliver water on her own time
to her student’s houses.
And she was the first to really
show me what this looks like in
the U.S. and we started a
project together. The Navajo
Water Project, which has
brought clean, hot and cold
running water to hundreds of
homes all over the Southwest.
>> Is it that I mean, you
mentioned that whether it’s a
reservation or, you know, the
Appalachian does this happen in
cities too?
>> Yeah, it sure does. We see
big pockets of this. Even in
cities like San It’s happening
increasingly in places impacted by climate change. Where
by climate change. Where
changes in weather are knocking
old water systems offline or
making it more difficult for
people to use the toilet
because the soil is changing. So this problem, unfortunately,
So this problem, unfortunately,
for the first time in U.S.,
history is growing, according
to the Census data to Georgia.
People want to help out with
this. Where can they go for
more information? >> We just published report
>> We just published report
this morning. You can find it
on dig deep dot org, slash
draining and on the DOT org.
There’s all sorts of resources
to get involved and to support
these families without running water.
>> We appreciate your advocacy.
Such an important for those
of us who take for granted the
clean water that comes out of
the tap. We have flushing
toilets running showers.
Some of the really think about it’s not all Americans have