News Briefs: Lack of Water Access Costs U.S. Billions Annually, Says Non-Profit Report

Also in this week's sewer and water news, the Arizona Department of Water Resources says up to 70% of municipal water is being used for outside purposes like watering plants, grass and filling swimming pools

A non-profit organization based out of California called Dig Deep recently released a report claiming that a lack of access to water is costing the United States economy $8.58 billion annually.

Another report by the same group titled “Closing the Water Access Gap in the United States” says there are 2.2 million people in the nation living without running water or a flushing toilet.

The Washington Post summarized the findings here.

Arizona Customers Use 70% of Municipal Water Outside the Home

The Arizona Department of Water Resources, in an article for ABC15 News, says up to 70% of municipal water is being used for outside purposes like watering plants, grass and filling swimming pools.

Meanwhile, Scottsdale Water Utility is offering to walk people through the concept of water efficiency and finding leaks. While those actions seem small, Brian Biesemeyer, executive director of Scottsdale Water says they have a big impact.

“If they (residents) can cut back 5% of that water, that’s the equivalent volume of our cuts in a Tier 2 drought contingency on the Colorado,” he told ABC15.

California OSHA Investigating Death of Worker at WWTP Project Site

The California Division of OSHA is investigating the mid-June death of a construction worker who was employed for a $7 million upgrade project at the San Jose-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility.

The worker was a pipefitter and was fatally injured while removing large sections of piping, according to a report by ENR California.



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