As Climate Week NYC Begins, FloWater CEO Says America’s Climate Resilience Conversation Must Include Drinking Water

Following a federal appeals court ruling involving Jackson, Mississippi’s water crisis, FloWater CEO Rich “Raz” Razgaitis calls for greater urgency around America’s drinking water infrastructure, transparency and access to water people can trust.

DENVER, CO, September 21, 2026 — As Climate Week NYC brings renewed attention to climate resilience and infrastructure, FloWater co-founder and CEO Rich “Raz” Razgaitis is calling attention to an issue he believes deserves greater national urgency: whether Americans can trust the water coming from their taps.

“Safe drinking water shouldn’t depend on your ZIP code,” said Razgaitis. “We need to fix aging infrastructure, give people transparency into what’s actually in their water and make sure there are solutions available now, not decades from now.”

The call comes following the Fifth Circuit’s September 4 decision upholding the dismissal of federal constitutional claims brought by residents in connection with Jackson, Mississippi’s water crisis. The court concluded that the residents’ allegations did not establish violations of the constitutional rights asserted in the case.

“Whatever the legal limits of constitutional protection may be, we shouldn’t need a court ruling to tell us that Americans deserve drinking water they can trust,” Razgaitis said. “It is 2026. Safe drinking water should be one of the most basic expectations of living in America.”

With climate resilience in the spotlight this week, Razgaitis says drinking water cannot be separated from the broader conversation about resilient communities and infrastructure.

“We’re having a national conversation right now about what resilient communities look like. Clean, safe drinking water has to be part of it,” Razgaitis said. “If a parent still has to wonder whether the water coming out of their child’s school fountain is safe to drink, we have work to do.”

America’s drinking water systems face mounting challenges from aging infrastructure and contaminants including lead and PFAS. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the nation’s drinking water infrastructure will require approximately $625 billion in investment over 20 years.

At the same time, headlines about contamination, emerging research and changing regulations have contributed to a growing trust gap around tap water.

“When people lose confidence in tap water, bottled water becomes the default,” Razgaitis said. “Families carry the cost, and we create another problem through plastic production, transportation and waste. We need to rebuild trust in tap water while giving people better solutions they can use today.”

Razgaitis is calling for faster investment in aging water infrastructure, greater transparency and testing, and broader access to effective purification solutions, particularly in schools and communities where infrastructure upgrades can take years.

FloWater was founded around a simple idea: people should be able to trust and love the water they drink without relying on single-use plastic bottles. Its Refill Stations use 7x Advanced Purification to transform ordinary tap water into clean, great-tasting drinking water, removing up to 99.9% of contaminants while adding back electrolytes and minerals. Today, FloWater serves more than 16,000 locations across schools, workplaces, gyms, hotels and other public spaces and has delivered nearly 1.5 billion fills.

“Action on drinking water is tangible,” Razgaitis said. “And we shouldn't stop until every American can turn on a tap and trust what comes out.”