EPA released its fifth Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment last week, once again highlighting the vast resource allocations necessary to maintain the nation’s drinking water infrastructure over the next 20 years. In a press release, Acting Administrator Bob Perciasepe stated that the survey “shows that the nation’s water systems have entered a rehabilitation and replacement era in which much of the existing infrastructure has reached or is approaching the end of its useful life. This is a major issue that must be addressed so that American families continue to have the access they need to clean and healthy water sources.”
The survey analyses show that an overall investment of $384 billion dollars will be needed over the next 20 years, the majority of which ($247.5 billion) is related to the refurbishment or replacement of aging water lines. The other major investment needs cited in the report are for projects related to treatment ($72.5 billion), storage ($39.5 billion) and source development/upkeep ($20.5 billion). Of the $384 billion total, large community water systems (those serving greater than 100,000 people) account for 38 percent ($145.1 billion) of the needs identified in the survey.
The needs survey, which is updated every four years, serves as the basis for the allocation of Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) grants to states. A copy of the current survey and additional information on how it is used in the DWSRF process are available at EPA’s DWSRF web page.