The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released two reports on water sector issues in recent months. In January, the agency issued “Water and Wastewater Workforce: Recruiting Approaches Helped Industry Hire Operators, but Additional EPA Guidance Could Help Identify Future Needs.” The report noted the upcoming wave of retiring baby boomers and said water utilities “are having difficulty hiring certified operators — key to running the plants — as well as other skilled workers.” While EPA provides guidance for state regulators and plant managers to use in evaluating utility operations, GAO recommended the agency add strategic workforce planning questions to its evaluations to help identify future workforce needs.
In October, GAO published “Information on Identified Needs, Planning for Future Conditions, and Coordination of Project Funding,” a report analyzing the nation’s drinking water and wastewater infrastructure needs. It described how federal agencies and selected states identify drinking water and wastewater infrastructure needs; how federal agencies support states’ planning for future conditions that may affect needs; and the extent to which federal and state agencies have coordinated in funding projects and any challenges they faced.
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The workforce report is available at www.gao.gov/products/GAO-18-102 and the infrastructure report is at www.gao.gov/products/GAO-17-559.