Scientists at South Carolina’s Hollings Marine Laboratory recently revealed findings that Prozac in the water is endangering Ohio’s freshwater mussel populations. The study shows that even a minute amount of the drug causes female mussels to release their larvae within just 48 hours of being exposed. Research by environmental toxicologists in Texas found fluoxetine (the active ingredient in Prozac) in high concentrations and in every tissue sample of bluegill, channel catfish and black crappie they sampled.

Over the past few years, ecologists surveying the waters around waste treatment plants have found a wide array of pharmaceuticals in the water. Researchers have known since the 1960s that pharmaceuticals and other chemicals that affect hormone systems can turn male fish into females.

We are seeing this at alarming rates in the bass that populate the Potomac River. The problem first appeared downstream from sewage treatment plants in 2002, when male bass begin producing eggs. As a D.C. resident, I was just thrilled to think of how nourishing our drinking water must be if it causes male fish to produce eggs. And let’s not even talk about eating the fish.

Scientists suspect the cause of the problem is birth control pills or pesticides and herbicides that mimic estrogen.

As our pipes and treatment systems age, more and more sewage spills into our streams, rivers, lakes and ocean, creating serious public health hazards. And population growth puts even more strain on our water systems.

The federal government spends more than $30 billion a year on a highway trust fund and more than $8 billion on an air transport trust fund. But there is no trust fund to safeguard our nation's water.

If we don’t invest in our nation’s water infrastructure, then we may see our rates increase, water quality suffer, and customer service decline.  It’s time to fill the funding gap with a trust fund - a dedicated funding source and sustained commitment to clean and safe public water.