Global Scans · Clean Water and Sanitation · Weekly Summary

In September 2015, 193 world leaders agreed to 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development. If these Goals are completed, it would mean an end to extreme poverty, inequality and climate change by 2030.
Goal 6. Ensure availability of water and sanitation for all.

• [New] The EPA will fund USD 1 billion under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to help out with the implementation of PFAS testing and treatments in public water systems. DataMIntelligence
• [New] The final rule on the PFAS drinking water regulation will be able to protect more than 100 million individuals from exposure to PFAS chemicals, and prevent several deaths and severe illnesses as well. DataMIntelligence
• [New] Amazon has set a target of becoming water positive by 2030, meaning it would return more water to communities than it consumes. Crypto Briefing
• [New] The water usage, we are told, is 75% of the way to Amazon's goal - announced in 2022 - of being water positive by 2030. theregister
• [New] In wastewater operations, Anglian Water said it had recorded a reduction in expected sewer blockages in identified hotspot areas and highlighted ongoing investment to reduce spills from storm overflows. Water Magazine
• [New] Illinois American Water plans to invest approximately $570 million through 2027 focused on upgrading ageing infrastructure, enhancing water quality, reducing service disruptions, and improving system resilience. Illinois Business Journal
• [New] The UK water sector risks falling into a familiar cycle of late-stage pressure and rising costs unless it addresses the underlying cause of the slow start to AMP8. ResponseSource
• [New] Systems will benefit in their ability to achieve compliance from other EPA RealWaterTA offerings, such as Water Engineering Support. Federal Register
• [New] By 2050, 92% of homes will overheat, peak river flows will be up to 45% higher and water supply shortfalls could exceed five billion liters per day. / UK Engineering and Technology Magazine
• [New] Many parts of Texas are staring down water supply deficits, but none as pressing as in Corpus Christi, a 500,000-person metro area on the South Texas coast, where reservoirs could dry up in 2027, unless drought abates. Inside Climate News
• [New] A recent AWWA analysis titled Beyond the Replacement Era: Balancing Compounding Infrastructure Needs with Household Availability shows that drinking water infrastructure needs will exceed $2.1 trillion over the next 25 years, requiring a 168% annual increase in capital investment. Municipal Sewer and Water
• [New] Even when some withdrawn water is recycled by datacenters, large-scale withdrawals can strain aquifers and river systems, particularly in arid or groundwater-depleted regions, a recent UN report warned. The Guardian
• [New] Worldwide, three-quarters of people could face drought impacts by 2050 all while datacenters use 9.3 tn liters of water in the coming decade, enough to meet the drinking water needs of the planet's human population for over a year, the United Nations has estimated. The Guardian
• [New] Datacenters will be responsible for just 4% of the 30 tn gallons of extra water that will be needed, globally, for AI expansion by the mid-point of this century. The Guardian
• [New] The multiplying datacenters across the US are set to demand as much as 73bn gallons of water a year by 2028, up from about 17bn gallons in 2023. The Guardian
• [New] Direct cooling water consumption by US data centers reached about 66 billion liters, near 17.4 billion gallons, in 2023, and is projected to climb steeply by 2028 (LBNL, 2024, as the primary source; restated in AWWA, 2025, and Environmental Law Institute, 2026). RefIndustry
• [New] El Nino could have severe consequences for India's cities, most notably its film and financial capital of Mumbai which relies solely on seven rain-fed lakes to provide water for its more than 22 million inhabitants. The Guardian
• [New] Asia is predicted to be one of the regions most exposed, with intensifying heat and drought predicted to put major stresses on agriculture, power grids and water supplies. The Guardian
• [New] In certain water-scarce areas of the country such as California or Arizona, AI might compete for limited water resources with other use cases. Atlantic Council
• [New] The global water and wastewater treatment industry is projected to grow rapidly over the next few years, increasing from $323 billion in 2023 to $536 billion by 2030 - a compound annual growth rate of 7.5%. Seven Seas Water Corporation
• Around 700 million people worldwide suffer from water scarcity, a number that is predicted to rapidly increase in coming decades. ClimateCheck
• Climate change has aggravated water stress and may cause significant danger to global health and productivity, and will continue to do so as global temperatures rise and weather patterns change. ClimateCheck
• The increased prevalence of drought has a high potential to disrupt water sources and strain water supply in communities across America. ClimateCheck

Last updated: 21 June 2026