Engineering Inc. - January/February 2009 - 7

and repairing aging pipes will top $250 billion over the next 20 years. Sunil Sinha of Virginia Tech told Construction magazine: “Underground water pipes lose about 40 percent of the water…because of leaks and other structural damage.” Wastewater problems: “The overall physical condition of the nation’s 16,000 wastewater facilities is poor,” Engineering Inc. reported one year ago. “Water treatment plants, pipes, control basins, pumping stations and other infrastructure are at risk of failing. More than 200,000 water mains break” annually. Water treatment: Global industry analysts last year said that the market for municipal water treatment equipment and supplies would grow by 6 percent from 2007 to 2010. The United States was the largest single market worldwide. Water for power plants: And there are niches within niches. Global research consultant Frost & Sullivan says water treatment in the power industry earned $580 million in revenue in 2008. By 2013, that figure is projected to more than double to $1.17 billion. Desalination plants: These could provide some assistance in meeting drinking water needs. Though two-thirds of the more than 7,000 plants worldwide are located in the Middle East, there’s only one small plant in the United States—the $158 million Tampa Bay Water project. U.S. Needs Are Clear governor’s office, municipal wastewater treatment systems will exceed $36 billion in the next 20 years, “while repairs for drinking water infrastructure would exceed $20 billion over the same period.” Pennsylvania: The state’s Sustainable Water Infrastructure Task Force found “drinking water and wastewater systems face $36.5 billion in capital repairs and upgrades over the next 20 years.” Colorado: The Water Quality Control Commission says, “292 drinking water and wastewater projects urgently need more than $2.6 billion in improvements.” Investors Take Notice would reach $522 billion in 2007 and nearly $1 trillion in 2020. According to the company’s release, the 2007 figures break down as follows: n $385 billion in services; n $64 billion in equipment; n $9 billion in chemicals; and n $62 billion in bottled water. Of the estimated $1.12 billion in venture capital that’s gone into water companies since 1998, Lux reports that 59 percent has been invested in the past two years. Separately, the U.S. EPA “estimates a $540 billion gap between what communities are spending on water infrastructure and the actual investments needed.” Joe Salimando writes frequently on the construction industry at www.eleblog.com. He can be reached at ecdotcom@ gmail.com. Domestically, it’s easy to see why clean water is at the top of current and future government priorities. Consider these examples: New York: According to the Global emerging technology consultant Lux Research recently forecast that revenues in “the hydrocosm” (the worldwide water industry) OPPORTUNITIES ALONG THE WATER CYCLE Figure 2 Runoff Hydrological Cycle Collection Catchment & Other Sources COLLECTION Water collection facilities, watershed management Desalination of saltwater, condensation techniques TREATMENT Industry consolidation and outsourcing trends, water treatment and large-scale project management Treatment, purification, testing technology to respond to quality and safety standards Treatment Agricultural Industrial Uses USAGE Improve metering to manage affordability and accountability of use Repair and replace leaking pipes and build infrastructure to supply water to needed areas DISTRIBUTION (INCLUDING RECYCLING) Wastewater management and recycling gray water for other uses Remediation of contaminated ground water Recycling Usage Tap Water Source: Calvert, Unparalleled Challenge and Opportunity in Water Infrastructure, September 2008 JaNuaRy / FEbRuaRy 2009 ENGINEERING INC. 7

http://www.eleblog.com

Engineering Inc. - January/February 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Engineering Inc. - January/February 2009