Engineering Inc. - January/February 2008 - 12

W e need to address more than aging infrastructure. We have to figure out how to deal with expanding populations, growing demand, new regulations and security issues. niLAkSh kothAri AmericAn wAter workS ASSociAtion facilities are nearing the end of their useful lives, and older systems suffer from chronic overflows during major storms. The result: Raw sewage often contaminates U.S. surface waters, including rivers, lakes and oceans. But the problem doesn’t end there. Water treatment plants, pipes, control basins, pumping stations and other infrastructure are at risk of failing. More than 200,000 water mains break each year in the United States. Food & Water Watch, a nonprofit environmental and consumer organization based in Washington, D.C., reports that a majority of states are facing current and projected wastewater infrastructure needs far out of line with available funding. As a proportion of overall wastewater infrastructure spending, federal support, which accounted for 78 percent of funding in 1978, makes up just 3 percent today. Old infrastructure is often unable to handle increased capacity demands, breaking down and releasing untreated sewage. Combined sewer overflows from failing and insufficient infrastructure wreak environmental havoc on a massive scale—23,000 to 75,000 such overflows occur each year, spilling out 1.26 trillion gallons of untreated sewage and incurring $50.6 billion in cleanup costs. “The health implications are signifi12 ENGINEERING INC. JaNuaRy / FEbRuaRy 2008 cant,” says Jessica Roach, senior organizer for Food & Water Watch. Evidence that the infrastructure is crumbling isn’t difficult to find. In Boston in late 2006, a series of unexplained water main ruptures flooded city streets, disrupting rush-hour traffic and hurting area businesses. Similar water main breaks, causing flooding and other disruptions, have been reported in places such as Chicago and Arlington, Va. After a water main break in the Florida Keys recently, citizens were ordered to boil their drinking water before consuming it due to risk of contamination. By 2002, Atlanta’s water quality had become so bad that residents in some neighborhoods reported taking baths in water the color of iced tea. The same year, television and radio stations began reporting “boil water” advisories when pathogen levels exceeded health standards. Other cities, including Santa Monica, Calif., and Norman, Okla., have been forced to deal with contaminated wells and groundwater pollution. Addressing the problem won’t be easy. According to the American Water Works Association (AWWA), it costs approximately $6,300 per household to replace water mains at larger utilities. Factor in water treatment plants, pumps and other systems, and the price tag spikes to just under $10,000 per household, on average. But the problem is even more complicated than that. “We need to address more than aging infrastructure,” explains Nilaksh Kothari, president of AWWA. “We have to figure out how to deal with expanding populations, growing demand, new regulations and security issues.” U.S. engineering firms already are rolling up their sleeves to meet these challenges. But more help still is needed. According to industry consulting firm FMI Corp., the water supply and sewage and wastewater construction market will eclipse $43.6 billion by 2011. Industry analysis firm ZweigWhite says U.S. water and wastewater treatment facilities will require more than $1 trillion in upgrades over the next 20 years. In the Flow Changing the way America views and values water infrastructure could prove challenging. Finding sustainable solutions for funding will require a willingness to confront the problem and find new and creative ways to address political, social and practical issues. Although the EPA has identified water infrastructure as one of its top priorities, and almost every utility supports the concept, there’s little consensus about how to bring water facilities up to 21st-century standards. Rather than increased funding, the EPA says effective water management is needed, including: • Improved management of the water and wastewater infrastructure through better system inventories, asset management and capital improvement programs. The EPA reportedly is working with utilities to identify and implement best practices. • Full-cost pricing that reflects the actual value of water and the real price for infrastructure—rather than governmentsubsidized pricing. “The lack of full-cost pricing contributes to the neglect and deterioration of infrastructure, Clean Water Act violations and a mindset that doesn’t focus on conservation,” says Grumbles. R epairing and improving the water infrastructure is one of the most significant challenges america faces. BenjAmin GrumBLeS u.S. ePA

Engineering Inc. - January/February 2008

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