Palgrave Macmillan

Manuel P. Teodoro, Editor

In this open access book, contributors explore current challenges and opportunities to improve drinking water regulation, governance, management, environmental justice, and more. In 2024, the United States marked the 50th anniversary of the Safe Water Drinking Act, its principal law regulating drinking water. Rather than looking back, this book looks forward to the decades ahead: each chapter is rooted in rigorous research and ends with concrete recommendations for the future of American drinking water. The book’s authors include leading policy scholars and water sector professionals. The book culminates in the Madison Declaration, a vision statement and bold call to action for the next fifty years.

I’m grateful for the book’s contributors. Safe Drinking Water Act: The Next Fifty Years exists—and has the potential to matter—thanks to the authors’ insight, rigor, and care. Editing this volume has only deepened my appreciation for each of them: