Only three states see water as a human right. Virginia is about to be the fourth.

Faced with growing numbers of residents unable to pay their water bills due to the pandemic, Virginia delegate Lashrecse Aird stepped into a larger debate when he introduced a bill to prevent water companies from shutting off service. Not only did his bill declare water as a basic human right, it also demanded that the state use “effective strategies” to limit water contamination, reduce pollution by commercial or industrial entities, and mitigate the impact of climate change on the state’s natural water resources. The bill still must work its way…