Essential Utilities is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Safe Drinking Water Act, a landmark legislation safeguarding public health. To commemorate this milestone, Essential — through its water utility, Aqua — is reinforcing its efforts to protect water quality.

“The Safe Drinking Water Act has been the cornerstone of safe drinking water protection for the past five decades,” said Christopher Franklin, Chairman and CEO of Essential Utilities. “At Essential, we lead by action — tackling PFAS contamination, replacing lead service lines ahead of federal mandates, and investing in infrastructure modernization. It’s through these efforts that we continue to protect public health, exceed regulatory standards, and ensure safe, reliable water for the communities we serve today and for generations to come.”

Combating PFAS and Lead Service Lines

Aqua is actively addressing PFAS contamination by investing significantly in advanced treatment technologies and conducting rigorous monitoring. Additionally, the company is accelerating the identification and replacement of lead service lines across its eight-state footprint, prioritizing public health and safety.

As part of its commitment to water system resilience and sustainability, Aqua is investing $765 million in capital improvements in 2024, with plans to invest more than $800 million in 2025. Most of this investment will fund aging water main replacement to ensure compliance with new and increasingly stringent water quality regulations, including $89 million in PFAS mitigation and $44 million in lead service line investigation and replacement.

“The 50th anniversary of the Safe Drinking Water Act is a moment to celebrate the progress we’ve made and reaffirm our commitment to delivering safe, reliable water to the communities we serve,” said Colleen Arnold, president of Aqua. “Our customers are at the heart of everything we do. Every day, our team works diligently to ensure our water systems not only meet but exceed state and federal standards, protect public health, and adapt to future challenges. We’re proud to continue upholding the principles of the Safe Drinking Water Act for the benefit of our customers and their families.”

Learn more at Aqua. Operating as the Aqua and Peoples brands, Essential serves approximately 5.5 million people across nine states. Essential is one of the most significant publicly traded water, wastewater service, and natural gas providers in the U.S.