Water Justice Toolkit: A Guide to Address Environmental Inequities in Frontline Communities

The “Water Justice Toolkit: A Guide to Address Environmental Inequities in Frontline Communities,” was developed to provide legal resources to support, encourage, and engage community leaders experiencing environmental injustice.

This “toolkit” includes a set of six guides for local communities and organizations to either start or supplement their environmental justice efforts:

Download One-Pagers:

  1. Clean & Safe Water Guide
  2. Equitable Flood Risk Management Guide
  3. Title VI Environmental Justice Complaints & Compliance Guide
  4. Local Land Use Planning & Zoning Guide
  5. Public Participation Guide
  6. Community Science Guide

Each guide provides a basic overview of federal laws and policies. In addition to explaining legal avenues, the toolkit highlights numerous case studies where community organizers have implemented policy tools to address local environmental justice issues. Special thanks to our community partners for helping develop this report and sharing their stories, including the Intrenchment Creek Community Stewardship Council in Atlanta, GA, Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed, Lowcountry Alliance For Model Communities (LAMC) in Charleston, SC, Corazón Latino, Community Health and Empowerment through Education and Research (CHEER), The Waccamaw Indian People of South Carolina, and Freshwater Future in Toledo, OH and Flint, MI.

The Water Justice Toolkit was produced as part of the Anthony A. Lapham Fellowship. This fellowship honors the memory of Anthony A. Lapham who served for many years on the board of American Rivers, including as its Chair. The goal of the Lapham Fellowship is to develop the next generation of skilled leaders who can promote practical environmental solutions that achieve measurable results for natural and human communities.