Water Leaders Stress Need To Rehabilitate, Replace Water Infrastructure

Utilities across North America employ "Only Tap Water Delivers" campaign to remind elected leaders, public of the value of water

Washington, D.C. — More than 100 water utility leaders from across the United States arrived on Capitol Hill to stress the essential need to repair and replace the nation's aging water infrastructure.

Water professionals began two days of meetings with more than 300 Congressional representatives to raise awareness on critical water issues at the American Water Works Association's (AWWA) annual Water Matters! Fly-In. AWWA estimates the cost to repair and replace our nation's drinking water infrastructure over the next three decades will exceed $250 billion.

Specifically, water industry professionals will urge Congress to pass legislation that:

• Expands and modernizes the Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Fund (DWSRF) program.
• Increases the authorization of appropriations for the DWSRF program to a cumulative $14 billion through FY2011.
• Makes rehabilitation and replacement of worn-out infrastructure and security improvements specifically eligible for DWSRF loans.
• Contains a number of improvements to the DWSRF program that AWWA has been seeking, such as encouraging the use of asset management and providing for a longer repayment period for loans.

"Water professionals believe that the public is best served by utilities that are self-sustaining through their rates and that federal assistance should be a helping hand for special cases rather than a routine part of utility finance," said AWWA Executive Director Jack Hoffbuhr. "It's critical that we bring the conversation about infrastructure reinvestment above ground in the halls of Congress and in our own communities."

To help communicate the value of tap water service and the need to reinvest in water infrastructure, local utilities across the country are beginning to employ AWWA's "Only Tap Water Delivers" campaign.

The campaign has been adopted throughout the United States and Canada, with print ads and public service announcements reminding citizens that only tap water delivers public health protection, fire protection, support for the economy and the overall quality of life we enjoy.

SOURCE: AWWA