More and more urban areas throughout the United States face growing pressures on their water infrastructure systems, and major new investments in repair and upkeep are needed. That's among the findings of a new report, Infrastructure 2010: An Investment Imperative, released April 13 by the Urban Land Institute and Ernst & Young.

Citing water profligacy as an American way of life, the report cautions that “Most water districts do not charge ratepayers full outlays for constructing and maintaining systems...As a result, businesses and households tend to use water inefficiently and don’t conserve, even though per-capita water demand could outstrip future availability in some parts of the country." The report shows that the U.S. has the highest water footprint in the world, using nearly 656,000 gallons per capita annually, while China uses less than 186,000 gallons.

The nation’s use of water has more than doubled since 1950, due in part to water waste and to neglected leaks that drip 1.25 trillion gallons annually -- the total consumption of Los Angeles, Miami and Chicago combined -- according to the report. "(P)erhaps the most troubling conclusion overall is that the world is moving ahead in rebuilding and expanding its infrastructure without the United States," said Howard Roth, Global Real Estate Leader, Ernst and Young. "Bottom line, the US is seriously threatening not only its quality of life now and for the future but also its very basic ability to compete economically with the rest of the world.”

He noted that in every decade until 2050, the U.S. is likely to add 30 million people, and infrastructure needs to be built and repairs to accommodate them. He suggested that a priority in the U.S. should be a major jobs-producing investment, aimed at rebuilding national water, transportation, and other life support systems. View the report at www.uli.org.