Helping American Communities Protect Drinking Water | NASA Earth Science at Risk

Helping American Communities Protect Drinking Water | NASA Earth Science at Risk

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been helping communities safeguard one of their most essential resources: clean water. These efforts are now at serious risk due to proposed federal budget cuts. When wildfires burn,  soot and other contaminants often pollute streams, lakes, and rivers and overwhelm downstream treatment plants. Communities like the city of Eugene, Oregon now use critical NASA Earth satellite data to map vulnerable areas for faster response.

Combining satellite observations with local expertise, these NASA-supported tools empower natural resource managers and utilities to better protect drinking water, allocate resources, and reduce damage to infrastructure.

To learn more about NASA’s Earth Information Center and how NASA supports water and wildfire response, visit: https://earth.gov/

NASA's Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request is cutting NASA's total science budget by nearly 50%, affecting many Earth science missions. These funding reductions will result in the cancellation of 19 active science missions and end several planned ones deemed crucial by the National Academy of Sciences, including those involving partnerships with international space agencies.

Contact your representatives in the United States Congress, House and Senate, to express your concerns about NASA's severe science budget cuts and climate change: 

https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials/

Review NASA's Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request (PDF) Documents:
https://www.nasa.gov/fy-2026-budget-request/

Credit: NASA/EWEB
Duration: 2 minutes, 50 seconds
Release Date: June 17, 2025

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