Giant Water Main Break Draws Attention To Infrastructure Needs

A ruptured 66-inch water main break in Bethesda, Maryland, sent hundreds of millions of gallons of water down a busy commuter street recently, trapping people inside cars and shutting down streets and schools. Tom Curtis, AWWA Deputy Executive Director in Washington, D.C., issued the following statement.

"Today's massive water main break outside Washington D.C. brought a flood of new attention to our nation's water infrastructure concerns. Thankfully, the heroic efforts of rescuers appear to have prevented serious injuries.

Unfortunately, while this incident was dramatic, water infrastructure failures are all too common across the United States. As Congress considers economic recovery legislation, AWWA is urging our elected leaders to appropriate at least $10B for drinking water infrastructure reinvestment. The drinking water projects that are shovel-ready would put more than 400,000 Americans to work on water mains, leaking pipes and other infrastructure needs. Our water systems are critical to our public health and safety today and in the future, and there's no better way to put Americans to work."

About AWWA
AWWA is the authoritative resource for knowledge, information, and advocacy to improve the quality and supply of water in North America and beyond. AWWA is the largest organization of water professionals in the world. AWWA advances public health, safety and welfare by uniting the efforts of the full spectrum of the entire water community. Through our collective strength we become better stewards of water for the greatest good of the people and the environment.

SOURCE: AWWA