CHICAGO — The Water Infrastructure Network (WIN) and the Water Environment Federation (WEF) have welcomed the release of the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) gap analysis report that shows funding for water and wastewater infrastructure rehabilitation falls far short of what is needed.
The report was released yesterday and discussed by EPA Administrator Christie Whitman at WEFTEC — WEF's 75th annual conference.
WEF President Jim Clark said in a news release that the report "confirms what water environment professionals already know — that unless we as a nation substantially increase our commitment to repairing and replacing water infrastructure, we risk reversing the progress we have made in public health and water quality during the past 30 years."
Clark later thanked Whitman for her leadership in the Bush administration, particularly overseeing the completion and publication of The Clean Water and Drinking Water Infrastructure Gap Analysis, which was commissioned in response to the compelling need for federal investment on a local, state, and national level, he said.
While the capital needs estimates presented by EPA today appear to be slightly lower than those found in a WIN report on the topic, both documents agree that the capital investment need is tremendous, said Clark.
WEF believes the State Revolving Fund (SRF) program continues to be an important mechanism for states to finance a variety of water quality improvements, but many communities do not find this program to be a viable source of financial assistance.
WIN said in a news release that "this startling funding gap threatens the nation's critical water and wastewater infrastructure, and bolsters what WIN has consistently voiced since its inception in 1999 — the federal government must be a central component of a long-term sustainable solution to the nation's water and wastewater infrastructure funding need.
"The EPA report points to a water and wastewater infrastructure funding gap of over half a trillion dollars. Simply put, we face a looming crisis as pipes and systems age and remain in desperate need of upgrade and repair," said Ken Kirk, WIN chairman and executive director of the Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies.
Municipalities now shoulder 90 percent of the infrastructure costs, Kirk said, but "they cannot continue to foot this massive infrastructure bill alone. Without a serious, long-term commitment from the federal government, the massive need over the next 20 years will only become greater and the nation will have passed over the opportunity to stem a looming environmental and public health crisis."
The report calls on Congress and the President to sign and budget for new legislation to finance clean and safe water for America that creates a long-term, sustainable, and reliable source of funding for clean and safe water; focuses on critical "core" water and wastewater infrastructure needs; and streamlines federal administration of the funding program, Kirk said.
The report should further serve as an impetus for Congress' bipartisan support of meaningful legislation that will provide an innovative, long-term and sustainable solution to the nation's critical water and wastewater infrastructure needs, according to WIN.
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