Fresh water. Imagine a day without it. It sustains life - our food, communities, and economies – yet nearly half of U.S. rivers, lakes, and streams are so polluted they are unsafe for people or wildlife. While the 1972 Clean Water Act made major progress in reducing pollution, it has not kept pace with modern threats such as toxic chemicals, agricultural runoff, microplastics, and climate change.

These impacts continue to fall disproportionately on disadvantaged communities and threaten drinking water and watershed health nationwide. Upstream, Downriver is a documentary that follows community activists fighting for water justice and equity, weaving their stories with the history, and unfinished work, of the Clean Water Act. From rural Alabama to the Nez Perce Tribe in Idaho, the film highlights the ongoing struggle to ensure clean water for everyone. The film is 54 minutes, not rated and made possible through Kanopy. The program is free and open to the public.