Across the world, access to clean running water has long been considered a key marker of economic advancement. Yet in several of the most prosperous cities in the richest nation on Earth, the share of households living without that critical service is climbing—a trend that researchers say demands attention, particularly as President Donald Trump moves to sharply pare back federal funding for water infrastructure. Katie Meehan, a professor of environmental justice at King’s College London, has for years been studying what she and other researchers call “plumbing poverty” in the US. Utility shut-offs because of nonpayment or substandard housing where landlords fail to properly maintain properties are the main factors behind the problem. … Overall the number of US households that lack running water has declined since the 1970s. But those improvements primarily happened for White families. Today, in 12 of the 15 largest US cities, people of color are disproportionately represented among those lacking running water.