EPA: US needs $300B in sewer, water work, NY needs $29.7B in water
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network in Government
A federal study shows municipalities nationwide need more than $300 billion worth of essential upgrades to long overlooked water and sewer systems over the next 20 years. The need is acute in Northeastern states with older systems like New York, which needs $29.7 billion worth of improvements, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said Wednesday. But he said that price is a "just a drop in the bucket" compared to the higher cost of continuing to upgrade parts of sewer and water systems when emergencies strike. He is pushing a bill that would counter planned funding cuts in the federal transportation bill now being negotiated in Washington. "EPA found that the nation's 53,000 community water systems and 21,400 not-for-profit, non-community water systems will need to invest an estimated $334.8 billion between 2007 and 2027," stated the federal Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment, which is updated every four years. Read more: http://j.mp/yCf8ex
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Good to see you in London last week Stella. What is particularly interesting (or alarming) about the EPA data is that when you track these reports back to the 1990s, you see a pattern of capex deferral and a cumulative decline in the health of these systems. It also appears that water capex (especially sewerage and sewage treatment) has become politicised, with some Republicans seeking to dilute legislation. The irony here being that the crucial legislation was put in place by Presidents Nixon and Reagan.