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By Sheridan Hanson
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Americans are placing growing scrutiny on the water flowing from their faucets as concerns about drinking water continue to outpace nearly every other environmental issue. According to Gallup’s 2026 Environment poll, 56 percent of U.S. adults worry a great deal about the pollution of drinking water, making it the country’s top environmental concern for the 25th consecutive year, while a majority worry a fair amount. As regulators implement stricter standards for contaminants such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and communities confront aging infrastructure and lead service lines, the national conversation is no longer centered solely on water quality. It is increasingly about restoring public confidence.
Water occupies a unique place in everyday life because it touches nearly every routine people perform without a second thought. It is used to prepare meals, brew coffee, wash fruit and vegetables, brush teeth, prepare infant formula, hydrate pets, and bathe children. When confidence in that water begins to erode, uncertainty extends far beyond the kitchen sink and becomes part of everyday decision-making.
That shift is changing consumer behavior. More Americans are purchasing home testing kits and asking questions they may never have considered just ten years ago. At the same time, federal oversight of drinking water is evolving alongside emerging science. In 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized the nation’s first legally enforceable drinking water standards for six PFAS, estimating the rule will reduce exposure for approximately 100 million people over time while preventing thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of serious illnesses. The agency also announced $1 billion in funding to help states and territories implement PFAS testing and treatment.
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Those developments underscore a broader reality. Rebuilding confidence in America’s drinking water will require far more than new regulations alone. Infrastructure upgrades, transparent communication, scientific research, and public education all have a role to play in helping consumers understand both the progress being made and the practical steps they can take while long-term improvements continue.
Steve Scheer, the president of Brondell, believes this broader awareness presents an opportunity to strengthen public confidence through education rather than fear. Brondell designs home wellness products, including advanced water filtration systems, with a focus on helping consumers better understand the water they use every day. According to Scheer, today’s conversation extends beyond identifying contaminants to helping people make informed decisions based on credible information.
“People should feel empowered to know what they’re drinking,” Scheer says. “The resources already exist to better understand local water quality, and when consumers understand what is in their water, they are in a much stronger position to make decisions that fit their family’s needs.”
Scheer explains that America’s drinking water challenges are multifaceted. Aging infrastructure remains a significant concern, but it exists alongside growing population demands, regional drought pressures, and increasing attention on contaminants that were rarely discussed just a few years ago. Federal drinking water standards continue evolving as new research emerges, including ongoing implementation of national PFAS regulations and expanded attention to additional contaminants.
Addressing these challenges will require collaboration among utilities, regulators, manufacturers, researchers, and consumers. Utilities are responsible for managing enormously complex systems while balancing public health, infrastructure investment, and long-term planning. As those improvements continue over many years, consumers increasingly want practical steps they can take today to better understand the water entering their homes.
Transparency may ultimately prove just as important as engineering. Public confidence grows when testing results are communicated clearly, standards are explained in understandable language, and communities receive timely information about potential concerns. Scheer believes that most people recognize no infrastructure system is perfect. What they expect is openness, reliable communication, and accessible education that allows them to make informed choices.
That same philosophy applies inside the home. Understanding local water reports, learning about potential contaminants, and selecting filtration solutions appropriate for individual circumstances are practical actions that complement, rather than replace, public infrastructure investments. According to Scheer, empowering consumers with knowledge strengthens confidence while broader improvements continue.
“Our goal is helping people understand the water they rely on every day,” Scheer says. “Education creates confidence, and confidence allows families to make thoughtful decisions instead of reacting to uncertainty.”
The conversation also deserves a larger place within preventive healthcare. Discussions about health routinely emphasize nutrition, exercise, sleep, and preventive screenings. Water often receives far less attention despite being consumed every single day throughout every stage of life. Scheer believes that perspective is beginning to change as consumers recognize that water quality influences daily well-being just as consistently as many other lifestyle choices.
Rebuilding America’s confidence in drinking water will not happen through a single regulation, technological breakthrough, or infrastructure project. It will emerge through sustained investment, transparent communication, continued innovation, and a public that is equipped to understand the water it depends on. Clean drinking water has always been fundamental to public health. Restoring confidence in it may become one of this generation’s most important public health achievements.
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