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Big Price Tag for Water Infrastructure Repairs and Maintenance01-19-16 | News

Big Price Tag for Water Infrastructure
Repairs and Maintenance
EPA Puts it at $271 Billion

The EPA's Clean Water State Revolving Fund provided $5.8 billion in low-interest
loans in fiscal year 2015 to help communities pay for the cost of
wastewater infrastructure updates.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently announced that $271 billion is needed to maintain and improve the nation's wastewater infrastructure, including methods for managing stormwater runoff and recycled water distribution.

That amount is the result of an EPA survey produced in collaboration with the various states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and other U.S. territories, and based on projects that involve water quality-related, public health problems.

Each project included in the survey had to have a site-specific solution and detailed information on project cost.

"The only way to have clean and reliable water is to have infrastructure that is up to the task," said Joel Beauvais, EPA's acting deputy assistant administrator for water. "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."

The EPA maintains that wastewater infrastructure must become more resilient to the impacts of climate change, including sea level rise, stronger and more frequent storms, flooding, and drought.

EPA launched the Water Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center in January 2015 to work with states and communities to identify innovative financing strategies for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure. The center recently selected regional Environmental Finance Centers to help communities across the country develop sustainable "how-to-pay" solutions to meet environmental goals.

In addition, EPA offers financial assistance to address the types of infrastructure needs covered in the survey. The Clean Water State Revolving Fund has provided more than $111 billion in low-interest loans since its inception in 1987, with $5.8 billion in fiscal year 2015 alone. Grant funding is available through the Alaska Native Villages and Rural Communities program, the Clean Water Indian Set-Aside, and the U.S.-Mexico Border Water Infrastructure program.

The $271 billion is primarily for projects needed within five years. That amount included:
$51.2 billion to rehabilitate and repair conveyance systems.

$19.2 billion to plan and implement structural and nonstructural measures to control polluted runoff from storm events.

$6.1 billion for conveyance and further treatment of wastewater for reuse.