Whose Water 2023
Distributed by New Day Films, 350 North Water Street Unit 1-12, Newburgh, NY 12550; 888-367-9154
Produced by Kate Levy
Directed by Kate Levy
Streaming, 65 mins
High School - General Adult
Health; Human Rights; Water
Date Entered: 03/12/2025
Reviewed by Irina Stanishevskaya, University of Alabama at Birmingham LibrariesThe Whose Water documentary underscores the critical discussion about the fundamental human right to equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water and adequate sanitation. It stresses the significance of clean water for human health, well-being, productivity, and the preservation of environmental sustainability and ecological balance on our planet.
Despite the extensive water standards and regulations in the US, some regions continue to grapple with intricate water quality and insecurity challenges. To examine these challenges, the filmmakers visited several US regions, including Southwest Detroit (Michigan), Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), Des Moines (Iowa), Martin County (Kentucky), Navajo Nation, and Lowndes County (Alabama). Each region faces unique water-related issues such as high water rates, water shutoffs due to unaffordable bills, and water quality concerns such as microbial pollution, excessive nitrogen from agricultural fertilizers and pesticides, sewage overflows, industrial leaks and contamination, underground coal mining pollution, and more.
Each issue is discussed in detail, providing historical backgrounds, infrastructure challenges, residential stories, health cases and lawsuits, the efforts of activists and human rights organizations, and the complex relationships among communities, industries, and stakeholders. The film contains archival clips, statistics, quotes, and excerpts from city and community meetings, as well as opinions from researchers, lawyers, and environmental activists.
The film's comprehensive exploration of water quality and accessibility challenges across various US regions makes it an excellent tool for educators to foster classroom discussions about the essential human right to safe and affordable drinking water, environmental sustainability, and social justice.
The narration of the documentary is done by Maureen Taylor from the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization. The documentary is suitable for individuals who are interested in this topic, as well as for inclusion in school, public, and academic library collections.
Published and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Anyone can use these reviews, so long as they comply with the terms of the license.