Value Of Water Campaign Announces 6^th Annual National Infrastructure Week

Infrastructure Week, May 14-21, 2018, to convene thousands of business, labor, public-sector leaders to push to rebuild Nation's infrastructure

Recently, Value of Water Campaign announced that the sixth annual Infrastructure Week will take place from May 14-21, 2018. Across the country, hundreds of businesses, labor organizations, state and local elected officials and more will highlight the urgency of rebuilding and modernizing America's transportation, water, energy and communications infrastructure. Infrastructure Week is led by its bipartisan national Steering Committee: the AFL-CIO, American Society of Civil Engineers, Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program, Building America's Future, Business Roundtable, National Association of Manufacturers, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Value of Water Campaign.

Radhika Fox, Executive Director of the Value of Water Campaign, said: "We are thrilled to once again be part of the steering committee for Infrastructure Week. Most people know the typical signs that infrastructure is in need of repair: seeing rusty bridges, feeling the potholes they drive over, frustration with over crowded airports or delayed public transit. But with water infrastructure, so much lies beneath our feet and is invisible in our daily lives. Infrastructure Week gives water providers an opportunity to pull the curtain back and invite the public in to see how important investing in our infrastructure, and water infrastructure, is."

Last year, more than 300 affiliate organizations participated in Infrastructure Week and hosted more than 100 events in Washington, DC and across the country. At ports, airports, highway construction sites, in water treatment plants, and more, Infrastructure Week affiliates convened stakeholders to talk about the importance of protecting our future by investing in our infrastructure.

America's infrastructure problems become more expensive every day. The costs of inaction--lost time, lost productivity, and increasingly expensive maintenance and construction--are rising. While Washington debates how to move forward, Americans are footing the bill on their own--to the tune of an additional $9 every day for each American family.

The poor quality of our nation's roads costs the average motorist $533 each year in auto repairs, and commuters waste 42 hours and $1,200 in fuel per person and idling in traffic. Aging and strained water utilities are rushing to keep pace with demand, while water-reliant businesses from breweries to automakers lose as much as $5,800 per employee for each day of disrupted service. The combined costs of damaged and delayed shipments ripple across supply chains--and are passed on to consumers. More than $1.3T in property lies in the path of under-maintained aging levees, dams, and other critical infrastructure, putting whole communities at risk.

"Too many Americans are waiting for modern, fast, reliable, and safe infrastructure, while our global competitors are modernizing old systems and building new ones. Failing to fix, modernize, and build 21st century infrastructure is making our lives and communities more vulnerable, and has profound implications for our long term economic competitiveness. The future won't wait. Neither can we. It's time to build," said Zach Schafer, Executive Director of Infrastructure Week.

More information about Value of Water Campaign can be found here: http://thevalueofwater.org/

More information about Infrastructure Week can be found here: http://infrastructureweek.org/