Water sources throughout the United States are affected by both environmental and man-made factors, including the ongoing drought in California, lead contamination in Flint and other towns, the over-allocation of the Colorado River, and toxic algae blooms in Lake Erie. The Clean Water Act of 1972 (a reorganized and expanded version of 1948’s Federal Water Pollution Control Act) and the Safe Drinking Water Act (1974) govern water pollution and ensure safe drinking water. What do these two major federal laws seek to achieve? And how successful are they?

Panelists Jonathan C. Kaledin, executive vice president/general counsel, Natural Systems Utilities; and Peter R. Jaffe, professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Princeton will discuss our country’s water sources and how the federal government and states are working together to ensure equitable access to clean water for all.

Stanley N. Katz, lecturer with rank of professor of public and international affairs and director of Princeton’s Center for Arts and Cultural Policy Studies, will moderate the discussion.

The panel is being held in conjunction with the art exhibit, “The Politics of Water,” on display from Nov. 1 to Dec. 9, 2016, in the Bernstein Gallery at Robertson Hall. A reception in the gallery will follow the panel.