On January 13, EPA released the results of its latest Clean Watershed Needs Survey (CWNS). The official Report to Congress on EPA’s findings summarizes the $271 billion of investment needed to maintain and upgrade the nation’s wastewater infrastructure for a 20-year period as of January 2012. The 2012 figure represents a decrease of more than $67 billion from the needs reported in January 2008. In a press release, EPA’s Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for Water Joel Beauvais states that “Our nation has made tremendous progress in modernizing our treatment plants and pipes in recent decades, but this survey tells us that a great deal of work remains.”
Additional information on the CWNS, including links to the full Report to Congress, fact sheets, detailed data and technical reports, is available through EPA’s Clean Watersheds Needs Survey (CWNS) – 2012 Report and Data webpage.