Dr. Wendy Jepson, university professor in the Department of Geography and director of environmental programs and the Environment and Sustainability Initiative at Texas A&M University’s College of Arts and Sciences, is co-leading a national team of researchers raising the alarm on growing water insecurity in the United States. Their research, published in both PLOS Water and PLOS One, argues that the country has passed a tipping point called “peak water security,” where millions of households now face unsafe, unreliable or unaffordable water access — often without public awareness or government response.
The PLOS Water essay focuses on the broader water insecurity crisis while a companion study in PLOS One introduces a new project to measure water insecurity at the household level in the U.S.
Jepson’s co-authors include Dr. Amber Pearson of Michigan State University, Dr. Justin Stoler of the University of Miami, and experts from Arizona State University, San Jose State University, Portland State University and other institutions. Together, they call for a shift in how water insecurity is measured — moving beyond traditional system-focused data to new tools that capture people’s actual experiences with water at home.
“Our research shows water insecurity in the U.S. is not just a problem of pipes and infrastructure — it’s a human issue that affects health, daily life and dignity,” Jepson said. “Even in the wealthiest country, millions face challenges getting safe and affordable water, often without anyone realizing it.”
The essay highlights how aging water systems, climate change and slow policy action threaten to worsen water access problems in the coming years. It also points out that communities of color and low-income households suffer disproportionately, facing more shutoffs, contamination and exclusion from upgrades.
To address these challenges, the team is developing the HWISE-USA scale — a survey tool introduced in PLOS One that measures water insecurity through six dimensions: affordability, water quality, emotional distress, quantity, reliability and coping strategies. The scale adapts the global Household Water Insecurity Experiences (HWISE) framework, originally created for lower-income countries, to the U.S. context.
“We know water insecurity exists in the U.S., but we’ve lacked the right tools to measure it,” Pearson, who served as lead author on the PLOS One paper, said. “This scale will help us understand the real, everyday struggles families face and guide more fair policies and investments.”
The HWISE-USA scale is being tested using data from more than 1,000 households in over 15 at-risk communities and a nationally representative survey of 2,770 people. The researchers will check how well the scale predicts key outcomes such as bottled water reliance and stress related to water access.
Our research shows water insecurity in the U.S. is not just a problem of pipes and infrastructure — it’s a human issue that affects health, daily life and dignity.
This interdisciplinary research team’s project included experts from Texas A&M (College Station and Galveston campuses), Michigan State, Miami, Arizona State, San Jose State, Portland State and others. The project was supported by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, several state water institutes, Jepson’s Texas A&M Chancellor’s EDGES Fellowship and the Arizona Water Innovation Initiative.
The team urged utilities, governments and researchers to adopt household-scale experiential metrics like HWISE-USA to better identify at-risk communities, target infrastructure investments and improve public health.
“Our goal was to bring water insecurity out of the shadows so decision-makers could build equitable, sustainable water systems for all Americans,” Jepson said.