More than two-million Americans don't have access to running water and basic indoor plumbing.
A human rights nonprofit called DigDeep worked with the U.S. Water Alliance to develop the report. The study found that Native Americans are 19 times more likely to lack indoor plumbing than their white counterparts. African-Americans and Latino households also lack indoor plumbing at almost twice the rate of whites.
Economic status also played a role, as the report found that complete plumbing access was correlated with household income, unemployment rates and educational attainment.
Many of the Americans without running water live in Puerto Rico, a territory still recovering from Hurricane Maria.
“The United States is home to some of the most reliable water and wastewater systems on earth, and many Americans believe access is universal,” the authors wrote. “But in fact, millions of the most vulnerable people in the country — low-income people in rural areas, people of color, tribal communities, immigrants — have fallen through the cracks.”
Image courtesy Getty