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Water/Wastewater
Infrastructure
Overview
Providing
for a sustainable water and wastewater infrastructure is a critical,
ongoing process. Limited resources and capital funding are
major obstacles along the path. Environmental organizations,
water constituents, lawmakers and consumers are challenged to
overcome these barriers and find best-fit solutions for diverse
system needs.
Click
here for more U.S. infrastructure facts from the American Public
Works Association web site
(»
scroll down
to "Drinking Water and Wastewater"). |
Costs
can be staggering when trying to fix or replace aging water mains or treatment
plants - as high as $1 trillion throughout thousands of U.S. communities!
| Click
here for more wet weather
concerns from Issue 7. |
As
previously reported, combined sewer overflow problems (which contribute to stream pollution)
will alone cost authorities and municipalities billions of dollars to correct
over the next 10 to 20 years.
Action
Recent
steps have been taken to close the gap between water/wastewater infrastructure
revitalization and national O&M spending policies.
Gap
Analysis. The USEPA has recently developed a "Clean
Water and Drinking Water Infrastructure Gap Analysis." This
report analyzes infrastructure needs vs. spending to achieve improvements over
the next 20 years. Findings consider several factors, including
environmental quality, capital stock, economies of scale, best management
practices, demographics and industry trends.
Financing.
A Water Infrastructure Financing Bill entitled "Clean Water
Infrastructure Financing Act of 2003" was recently introduced in the
Congress. This bill would provide $25 billion over five years for the
Clean Water Act State Revolving Fund and target water/ wastewater infrastructure
improvements. Proponent environmental organizations view this bill as a
serious first step for the 108th Congress to identify a long-term and sustainable
improvement funding source.
Strategies.
A one-day, USEPA-sponsored forum entitled "Closing
the Gap: Innovative Responses for Sustainable Water Infrastructure,"
will be held in Washington D.C. on January 31st. The event will feature
opening remarks by USEPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman, followed by asset
management and financing discussions.
Watersheds
| Did
You Know? |
| Pennsylvania's
Water Plan divides the
Commonwealth into six major watersheds. Each watershed will be
evaluated by committee members and consultants, who will evaluate all of
the systems and how they impact each other. A state-wide committee will
then bring the watershed studies together to form a state-wide plan. |
We
All Live In Watersheds
Anything
that happens in a
watershed affects
most everything and everyone in it.
It makes sense. Downstream
impacts affect us and affect others.
Everyone
can’t live at the top
of the watershed. And,
after all, there is usually another watershed above yours.
A
coordinated and comprehensive approach is the only sensible way to
understand, protect and improve both natural and man-made watershed
systems.
| More and more states are planning on a
watershed basis. Federal programs, like the USEPA's
"Total Maximum Daily Loads" program, are also
considering a watershed approach to stream loadings. |
Supporting
programs which minimize both man-made impacts and the degree to which a
watershed is urbanized and "suburbanized" is also important. In
other words, if you don't develop it in the first place, you probably won't have
to fix it later!
Sprawl
| Click here to learn how sprawl can
impact water resources. |
Unsustainable
growth in a watershed is commonly called "sprawl." It's
possible, through proper planning and appropriate environmental safeguards, to
have growth without sprawl. But when communities plan poorly, sprawl
negatively affects our lives. It takes its toll on our environment and our
health.
Make
a Difference
There
are lots of way for you to make your watershed a good place to
live:
»
Contact your local and state government
to learn more about watershed protection and planning.
»
If in Pennsylvania,
contact your local DEP office and find out how to become a water plan committee
member.
»
Learn more about sprawl through
research or involvement in organizations that are active in land use policy.
»
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