On September 9, the Water Research Foundation and the Water Environment Research Foundation released the executive report to a new study exploring the significant impact the water utility sector has on the U.S. economy. Based on the planned operating and capital investments of 30 public water utilities, the “National Economic and Labor Impacts of the Water Utility Sector” study determined that these water, wastewater and stormwater utilities will contribute approximately $524 billion to the U.S. economy over the next decade and will support roughly 289,000 permanent jobs.
Study results show that investments by utilities generate similar job impacts as compared to investments in clean energy, transportation and healthcare.
Throughout the coming decade, the 30 participating utilities will undertake projects to replace aging infrastructure, improve local water quality, expand services to accommodate increased demand and respond to a number of other needs.
In addition to the significant number of jobs sustained by the water utility sector, utilities in the study anticipate major workforce replacement hiring needs, with nearly one-third of their existing workforce currently eligible for retirement. The current workforce replacement needs of the water industry sector exceed the nationwide average.
The final report can be found online at www.waterrf.org by searching for Project 4566.