Underground Construction - February 2021 - 22

24th Annual Municipal Sewer/Water Infrastructure Forecast
to restore traditional consumption and
local spending.
But even with that resumption, cities'
sewer and water infrastructure systems
continue to be underfunded. " We've been
operating behind the eight-ball for years.
The virus has just put us further into the
hole, " observed this Northeast city official.
" The big question before the COVID
virus was where will our funding come
from? " related a Southeast respondent.
" Even when the virus is over, that
question will remain. "
The shift in political fortunes at the
national level was profound last November
and in early January when Joe Biden won

the presidential election and Democrats,
in effect, took control of the U.S. Senate.
The Democrats' control of the U.S. House
of Representatives slipped substantially
but still remains secure, albeit by a narrow
margin. Of course, all of this could change
in the 2022 elections. For the Senate, 34
seats are up for grabs and control of the
House is now in play.
Regardless, as of this writing, the new
government is already talking about a
third, massive stimulus to further offset
the negative impacts of COVID-19. An
infrastructure stimulus is one of the lead
components being discussed. If, indeed,
a $1 or $2 trillion stimulus does come to

When Using Trenchless Methods, how often are the following technologies used:
54%

CIPP

45%

Point repairs

35%

Spray-type manhole

25%

HDD

26%

Chemical root control

28%

Pipe bursting

20%

Lateral lining

17%

Sliplining

6%

Pipe ramming
Microtunneling

4%

Folded pipe

4%

Ideally, how much money is needed to address your immediate near-term needs?
4

341
3

Billions

260
2

111
1

109
69
33

0

22

Sewer

Water
2020

FEBRUARY 2021 | UCONonline.com

Storm water

Sewer

Water
Near term, 5 years

Storm water

fruition and underground infrastructure
receives a reasonable share of the funding,
2021-'22 could suddenly reshape the
economic and project outlook for sewer
and water markets.
" We're putting a lot of hope that an
infrastructure stimulus does get approved, "
said this West Coast survey respondent.
" We've been hit so hard with the events of
2020 ... we really need to get back to work
repairing our sewer and water lines that
have been overburdened for decades. "
Said this survey respondent from
the Mid-Atlantic region, " we're already
hearing chatter about another big
stimulus that will include infrastructure.
Our industry just has to make sure sewer
and water is included in whatever package
is put together. "

Dream dollars
With the pandemic largely putting the
brakes on local cities' economic growth, it
was no surprise that survey respondents
expect a flat 2021, at best, in terms of
spending. However, to obtain a grasp of
the magnitude of the spending gap that
exists between actual infrastructure needs
and available funds, respondents were
asked: how much funding is necessary to
bring your sewer, water and stormwater
systems up to date over a five-year
period? Survey participants estimated
that, collectively, more than $710 billion
would be required, an increase of almost 4
percent over 2020.
Several respondents noted that thanks
to modern asset management, they have
a better handle on the true condition of
their systems. This is allowing them to
better estimate needs. Unfortunately, for
the majority, those needs are even worse
than they suspected. However, several
cities indicated they have been pleasantly
surprised at the status of their pipes.
Regardless, city officials report that
asset management continues to play a
strong and growing role in their project
planning. More than 48 percent of
America's cities report having a program
fully in place, compared to 44 percent
in last year's survey. About 34 percent
now have a program in development
and about 18 percent have no plans
to implement an underground asset
management program at this time.
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Underground Construction - February 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Underground Construction - February 2021
