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Your customers — and lawmakers — need to understand the consequences of failing to invest in water infrastructure now.

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Amid all the ongoing talk of the $16 trillion national deficit, the soft economy and high unemployment rates, there comes another number that should stand out to the people of this industry: $384 billion.

The U.S. EPA’s fifth Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment, the results of which were released this spring, show that $384 billion in improvements are needed for the nation’s drinking water infrastructure through 2030 for systems to continue providing safe drinking water to 297 million Americans.

The survey identified investments needed in 73,400 water systems across the country over the next 20 years for thousands of miles of pipe and thousands of treatment plants, storage tanks and water distribution systems.

In a press release announcing the findings, EPA Acting Administrator Bob Perciasepe said the survey shows that the nation’s water systems have entered a rehabilitation and replacement era in which much of the existing infrastructure has reached or is approaching the end of its useful life. “This is a major issue that must be addressed so that American families continue to have the access they need to clean and healthy water sources,” he said.

The assessment shows that $247.5 billion is needed to replace or refurbish aging or deteriorating distribution lines, and another $72.5 billion is needed in the area of treatment to construct, expand or rehabilitate infrastructure to reduce contamination. Storage needs account for another $39.5 billion, and $20.5 billion is required for the construction and rehabilitation of intake structures, wells and spring collectors.

To say it’s a major investment would be a gross understatement, but it’s absolutely necessary. Water infrastructure is one of the most basic and sustaining foundational elements of our society, and while you’re well aware of it, far too many people in the general populace are oblivious to the consequences of failing to make this investment now.

The economic impacts make the benefits of this investment even more obvious. The U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that for every dollar spent on water infrastructure, about $2.62 is generated in the private economy. And for every job added to the water workforce, close to four jobs are added to the national economy.

All of this is on top of the obvious: We all need clean, fresh water to survive, and failing to invest before our systems reach the point of complete failure will cost us significantly more than making improvements now. Yet, as is often the case in Washington, what is obviously right doesn’t always gain substantial support. The water industry, itself comprised largely of municipal government agencies, doesn’t have the influence of big lobbying groups. It hasn’t experienced a seminal event that draws media attention and the subsequent support of spotlight-seeking politicians.

In addition to the indifference in Washington, you have to deal with unhappy customers any time you suggest a rate hike to help cover the cost of system improvements. Meanwhile, the price tag for repairs and improvements that will eventually be unavoidable continues to grow as the infrastructure degrades.

So maybe a report, even one as ominous as the EPA’s new assessment, isn’t enough. Maybe it will take the substantial failure of whole communities’ water systems to get the attention that’s needed to break this cycle. But maybe making the stories of your own communities’ struggles known, clearly demonstrating how maintaining a system on a bare-bones budget is far more costly than proactive improvements, will eventually begin to have an impact, and it’s something each of you can do.

There are steps you can take to begin building the support you need to make your systems stronger and more sustainable. Education and outreach can play a big role. They’ve been key to the success of the Orange County Stormwater Program, profiled in this month’s issue, and they can help you inform the public and get them on your side before your next big project proposal. 

So, even though your resources are scant, consider what your utility can do to make your customers aware of the impact thin budgets will have on the future of their water systems, and the rates they pay. Perhaps you can take some lessons from Orange County and begin to change those attitudes and perceptions.

Enjoy this month’s issue.



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