Water Leaders Invest in US Water Infrastructure

Published on by in Business

Water Leaders Invest in US Water Infrastructure

Water Leaders Come to Washington,Rally Support for Investing in American Cities, Jobs, Competitiveness

On Capitol Hill today, water sectorleaders from across the country invited Washington to join them in investing thehundreds of billions of dollars required to strengthen the nation's waterinfrastructure - helping bolster America's workforce and sharpen the nation'scompetitive edge.

"From agriculture to manufacturing to transportation, America's economy runs onwater," said Kevin Faulconer, Mayor of San Diego. "Whether it's brewing a SanDiego craft beer or providing electricity for millions in New York, our cities dependon reliable water infrastructure - and we need to invest now so that when itcomes to our future, the glass is half full."

Yet just last year, the American Society of Civil Engineers reported that U.S.water and wastewater systems are close to failing, giving the systems a "D"grade.

"It's estimated that we need to spend $4.8 trillion over the next 20 years in orderto fix and maintain the country's current water systems and preserve existingservice levels," said Houston Mayor Annise Parker. "We need to join hands todayand invest for tomorrow."

The water industry is rising to the challenge. According to new research from theWater Research Foundation and the Water Environment Research Foundation,30 of the large utilities from around the country will invest $233 billion over thenext decade and generate more than half a trillion dollars in U.S. economicoutput.

Earlier this year, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee galvanized mayors and citiesthrough a resolution that was adopted at the U.S. Conference of Mayors AnnualMeeting in Dallas. The resolution called for a renewed partnership across sectorsto accelerate investment in water infrastructure in order to drive job creation,economic growth, and prepare communities to be resilient in the face of climatechange.

Source: Water Environment Federation

Read More Related Content On This Topic - Click Here

Media

Taxonomy