Thanksgiving hits different when you pause long enough to notice the everyday miracles around you. At the very top of our gratitude list this season? Clean water; the ability to help bring it to communities around the world.

Clean water is a basic expectation in the United States, yet millions of Americans still live in areas with unsafe or unreliable drinking water. High-profile crises like Flint’s lead disaster grabbed national attention, but many other cities continue to struggle with contamination that stems from aging infrastructure, poor regulation, political conflict, or environmental injustice.

Access to clean, safe drinking water is a fundamental human right, yet many Native American communities continue to face severe water challenges due to aging infrastructure, contamination, remote locations, and long-standing underfunding.

Across the country, water systems are aging, demands are rising, and the challenges tied to climate change aren’t slowing down. But one issue is quietly shaping the future of every treatment plant, utility, and public works department: a rapidly shrinking water workforce.