![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Also, heavy rainfall leads to more sewage overflows. Flooding and sea-level rise further threaten systems and can force infrastructure relocation. 20 Extreme weather has been catastrophic to water infrastructure. Weather disturbances also contribute to water system disruptions, including operational outages, loss of supply or restrictions on water use, and degraded water quality. 18 In 2022, the megadrought in the southwestern United States was so severe that the last two decades were estimated to be the driest period in 1,200 years, causing water shortages and fueling wildfires. Climate ChaosĬlimate chaos threatens to strangle the nation’s access to clean water, causing more sewage spills and compounding the costs of urgently needed updates to aging systems. 16 Federal support through the State Revolving Fund program, however, accounted for only 15 percent of long-term financing, 17 leaving a huge gap between what communities know they need and what the federal government has provided. 15Ī 2020 wastewater industry survey found that two-thirds of spending on capital improvement plans went to update aging systems and to address combined sewer overflows, and that improvement budgets had grown 24 percent over the previous three years. 14 That’s a per capita decrease in funding of 84 percent. Overall, federal funding for water and wastewater infrastructure has plummeted since its peak in the 1970s, dropping 77 percent from 1977 to 2017 in real terms. 13 This falls far short of the total need. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Water State Revolving Fund Program, the main source of federal support for wastewater projects, provided a mere $1.6 billion in 2021, 12 and the infrastructure law of 2021 added only $12.7 billion over five years to this program. ![]() 10 Public wastewater systems alone, as of the latest needs survey in 2012, needed at least an estimated $271 billion over two decades to improve treatment plants, sewer lines, address stormwater and stop overflows. In total, our drinking water and wastewater systems require at least $744 billion in investment over the next 20 years, or more than $35 billion a year. 9 American Society of Civil Engineers (2021) Growing Needs 8 Overall, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the country’s wastewater infrastructure a grade of D+ in 2021. 7 These aging wastewater systems need major updates to protect human health and the environment. 6 By 2021, however, water and sewer pipes were averaging 45 years old, and many were approaching the end of their lifespan. Many of the nation’s wastewater treatment plants were built or improved with the federal dollars provided by the Clean Water Act. “The objective of this Act is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters.” According to the Congressional Research Service, it was “the largest nonmilitary public works program since the Interstate Highway System.” 5 To help communities comply with wastewater standards, the law dramatically increased funding for the wastewater system construction grants program, providing nearly $41 billion through 1984. The legislation was intended to “restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters.” It has been one of our most effective environmental laws. In 1972, Congress overrode a veto by President Richard Nixon to pass into law the Clean Water Act, a defining environmental victory of the 20th century. Our nation’s water systems need dedicated federal commitment to keep the promise of clean, safe water for everyone. It’s time to pass landmark water legislation for the 21st century: the Water Affordability, Transparency, Equity and Reliability (WATER) Act. Aging systems contaminate our natural and built environments and threaten the health and safety of our water and of people everywhere. This lack of investment in water infrastructure isn’t just shortsighted it’s dangerous. 3 Without dedicated federal funding, many communities cannot afford to make the necessary repairs to the collection, treatment and septic systems that keep our water clean and safe. 1 It has been 50 years since the passage of the Clean Water Act, and an unprecedented climate emergency is overwhelming our aging wastewater systems.Ĭlimate chaos is driving extreme weather that worsens sewage spills and dumps toxic waste in cash-strapped communities across the country, particularly in the Midwest and Northeast, 2 while the Southwest suffers a megadrought, fueling fires and depleting water supplies. Across the country, outdated wastewater systems dump hundreds of billions of gallons of raw sewage into our waterways each year, polluting water resources, endangering public health, harming aquatic life and damaging our environment. ![]()
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