NWRA President: Investment in Water Infrastructure in the West is Critical
Jan 24, 2019
Guest editorial by Ron Thompson, President, National Water Resources Association (NWRA), General Manager, Washington County Water Conservancy District: Americans expect clean, safe and affordable water.
We enjoy one of the best water systems in the world, largely due to the foresight of our predecessors who invested time and money into the extensive water infrastructure. However, our country has fallen woefully short in its water infrastructure investments over the past several decades.
Meeting our citizens’ expectations will cost at least $1 trillion over the next 25 years, to provide the current levels of water service. When factoring in growth, the needs increase to $1.7 trillion through 2050.
As the president of the National Water Resources Association (NWRA) and the manager of a water conservancy district in southern Utah, I know firsthand the need to invest in water has never been greater, nor have the challenges of advancing water projects been steeper.
Around 80 percent of drinking water in the U.S. comes from surface waters such as rivers and lakes, with the remaining 20 percent from groundwater aquifers. Most of that water is delivered by 1 million miles of pipes across the country laid in the early to the mid‐20th century with a life span of 75 to 100 years.
The American Society of Civil Engineers estimates that the U.S. needs to invest $123 billion per year in water infrastructure over the next 10 years just to meet projected capital needs. This doesn’t include the costs for adding capacity in high-growth regions like in the West, responding to natural disasters, or developing new sources of water. Local, state and federal governments are only spending $41 billion annually on water infrastructure, representing about one-third of the estimated need.
Assuming all levels of government could close this investment gap, our national economy would gain $220 billion annually, and add 1.3 million direct and indirect jobs. These jobs are well paying with wages above the national average. Nationally a one-day disruption of water service would result in an aggregate loss of over $43 billion per day, and more than $22 billion in gross domestic product.
Recognizing the needs and risks, Congress passed, and President Trump signed into law Oct. 23, 2018, legislation that provides for the conservation and development of water and related resources and authorizes the Army Corps of Engineers to construct various projects for improvements to rivers and harbors.
The bill also authorizes key drinking water and wastewater infrastructure under the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Water Act that are administered by the Environmental Protection Agency. It also addresses specific water supply and storage programs of the Bureau of Reclamation.
I speak for water managers throughout the country by thanking members of Congress and the president for supporting this legislation. But as Vice President Mike Pence said at the bill’s signing ceremony, the bill is just a down payment on rebuilding America’s infrastructure.
The U.S. invested heavily in the complex system for storage and delivery of water in the West to encourage settlement of arid regions and to serve its growing communities. The ambitious campaign transformed the region, attracting tens of millions of new residents and encouraging a major growth-oriented economy. In subsequent decades, federal funding for water resources infrastructure has dropped dramatically, placing the burden on state and local authorities to maintain these systems for the greater good.
But water resource stability is threatened in the West because existing developable resources are insufficient to meet anticipated water demand. The western states contain the headwaters of the continent’s major river system including the Columbia, Missouri/Mississippi, Rio Grande and Colorado rivers. All these states are actively developing new water resources to support their economic activity. California is planning several major water projects in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
The Northern Integrated Supply Project for 15 northern Colorado communities is in the permitting phase and the Southern Nevada Pipeline is on the drawing board. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is studying the feasibility of raising dams and building new water pipelines throughout the West including the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply project in New Mexico. In my home state, the Utah Legislature passed the Lake Powell Pipeline Development Act in 2006 to secure the future of Southern Utah by making sure current and future generations have a diverse and reliable water source.
The Lake Powell Pipeline will bring a critical second source of water to southern Utah to meet the needs of our growing communities, reduce our risks from drought and climate change, and keep the economy strong. The water conservancy districts in Washington and Kane counties, the project’s recipients, collectively deliver water to 13 communities.
Streamlined permitting will help advance critical water projects including the Lake Powell Pipeline, which has been in planning for more than 20 years. Extensive studies, preliminary design and permit applications have already cost millions. More efficient federal permitting will ensure water projects are done responsibly, yet significantly reduce the aggregate time and cost required to get the project approved and built.
While the investment deficits are significant, the benefits of closing the gap are even greater. When it comes to investing in and building the infrastructure for clean water, we can no longer kick the can down the road. We all must invest in the water system we need to sustain our quality of life, health and economy.
More News and Articles
Mar 27, 2024
News
USU Study Looks at Water Main Break Rates in the U.S. and Canada
Report Highlights Correlation Between Material and Diameter
Mar 26, 2024
News
Update BE-21: New Material in Course and Modules on Trenchless Pipe Installation
Online training on the topic of pipeline installation in civil engineering: Trenchless technology for underground drainage construction can be a resource-efficient, environmentally friendly, time-saving, and cost-effective alternative to open cut methods. The UNITRACC e-learning course "Utility Tunnelling" has been enhanced …
Mar 25, 2024
Article
Bacteria as a new weapon in wastewater treatment
In early November, San Diego based startup Aquacycl officially opened its first European office and test center at the Water Campus in Leeuwarden. The Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) and the Investment and Development Agency for the Northern Netherlands (NOM) …
Mar 22, 2024
News
A superior HDD offering
Building on its relationships with leading horizontal directional drilling companies, TRACTO Australia has delivered three new rigs to operator Superior HDD.
Mar 20, 2024
News
New portable water filtration technology could improve access to clean drinking water worldwide
The University of Texas at Austin has developed an injectable water filtration system with the aim to aid the over two billion people worldwide who are without clean drinking water.
Mar 18, 2024
News
Global Student Innovation Challenge Calls on Next-Generation Leaders to Tackle Water Security
High School and University Students Worldwide Invited to Expand Water Access and Community Resilience
Mar 15, 2024
News
New water treatment wins Prestigious Award
Introducing a advancement in water treatment, developed by Cardiff University researchers in collaboration with Origin Aqua, the FreeOxTM technology has garnered acclaim by winning a prestigious challenge award at the World Water Tech Innovation Summit. This single-step process not only …
Mar 13, 2024
News
Satellite-based river monitoring technique could provide early warning of flooding
A satellite-based method for monitoring the flow of rivers from orbit could provide a valuable early warning system for flood risk, University of Glasgow researchers have claimed.
Mar 11, 2024
News
Revitalising infrastructure with HDD
Through the use of horizontal directional drilling, TasWater is delivering a new sewer pipeline to improve sewer and stormwater transfer capacity in Launceston, Tasmania.
Mar 06, 2024
News
Picking up the pace on climate action: Building momentum from COP28
At the halfway point of the Paris Agreement, the legally binding international treaty on climate action, average global temperatures are already hitting 1.8°C above pre-industrial levels and future projections are stark. At COP28 in December, we could not escape the reality …
Mar 01, 2024
News
Luminescent sensor detects ‘forever chemical’ pollution in water
Researchers in the UK and Germany have developed a new approach for detecting pollution from ‘forever chemicals’ in water through luminescence.
Feb 28, 2024
Article
BETT installation demonstrating GHG emissions reduction of wastewater treatment
This study presents BioElectrochemical Treatment Technology (BETT) as a new wastewater management solution toward the Net-Zero future. The results reported herein were collected from a BETT pilot system installed at a large brewery in Los Angeles, CA, United States processing …
Contact
National Water Resources Association (NWRA)
Ian Lyle
4 E Street SE
DC 20003 Washington
United States
Phone:
+1 202 360 6429
Fax:
+1 202 698 0694