A new report released on July 11 by a presidential advisory council examines several key challenges affecting the resilience of water and wastewater systems and identifies actions federal agencies can take to better support sector resilience. The report – Water Sector Resilience: Final Report and Recommendations – was produced by the National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC), which advises the President on issues of critical infrastructure sectors, specifically their physical assets, operational systems and cyber networks. The NIAC’s primary source of information was an 18-member study group led by National Association of Clean Water Agencies President Adel Hagekhalil and AMWA CEO Diane VanDe Hei, the study group’s chair and vice-chair.
The NIAC identifies five recommendations and 18 specific activities the federal government can perform to support sector resilience. The report acknowledges the many challenges the sector faces, which are well known to those who work in water and wastewater utilities. These include aging infrastructure, under investment, insufficient valuation of services and fragmented, weak federal support for resilience. In addition, it recognizes the poor understanding of the criticality of water and wastewater services by the government and other sectors in relation to disaster planning, prevention and response. The report also identifies water and wastewater services affordability as a cornerstone resilience issue.
Regardless of whether this or future Administrations implement any of its recommendations, the report will be an authoritative reference for sector efforts to gain federal support in improving resilience.