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Mayors List Aged Infrastructure, Supply, Security Among Chief Water Priorities
Aging drinking water and wastewater facilities are a top water
resources concern among U.S. cities, followed by growing concerns about security
at these facilities and water supply availability, the U.S. Conference of Mayors
said in survey results released Jan. 24.
"The findings [of this survey] indicate that cities are concerned about a
mixture of 'every-day' problems and 'catastrophic events,' " the The National
City Water Survey 2005 concludes.
In a survey of 1,200 cities with populations of 30,000 or more residents, the
U.S. Conference of Mayors' Urban Water Council (UWC) asked mayors to identify
what they consider to be the five most pressing priorities. Mayors of these
cities also were asked to provide information about recent and planned projects
to upgrade water and wastewater infrastructure, water supplies, and water
conservation measures.
Nearly 35 percent of the mayoral pool, representing 414 cities, responded to the
survey. They mayors listed their top five current and future priorities from a
list that the UWC provided them.
Survey results showed that:
About 60.6 percent of the respondents identified aging drinking water and
wastewater facilities as the top priority, and 54.6 percent of respondents
ranked protection of those facilities as the second most important priority.
About 46.4 respondents said adequate water supply, including drought management
and regional water conflict, was the third most important priority.
An increase in unfunded federal mandates in the form of permits and regulatory
actions was listed as the fourth most important concern, followed closely by
growing concerns about the quality of water that is being supplied to city
residents from aging drinking water systems.
Aging Water Infrastructure
From 2000 to 2004, some 380 cities made major investments to upgrade water
supplies, water treatment plants, water distribution systems, and wastewater
treatment and collection facilities. But respondents told the UWC that the aging
infrastructure remains a "chronic" every-day concern.
The concern remains paramount because roughly the same number of cities, 380,
intend to make major capital investments in at least one of the five water
infrastructure areas between 2005 and 2009.
Cities that did upgrade facilities also have implemented water conservation
programs, the report finds. Cities that plan future upgrades also intend to
adopt similar conservation measures.
And even then, the Environmental Protection Agency says the cost of upgrades
would escalate to $534 billion in new investment by 2019. The "cost of
maintaining and replacing remains considerable," the report said.
And in spite of conservation measures, the survey finds that nearly a third of
the surveyed cities will not have adequate water supply.
EPA officials say they are ready to work with communities and Congress in
pursuing sustainable water infrastructure.
"The Urban Water Council's report highlights the need for innovative
partnerships to ensure safe, secure, and sustainable water infrastructure. EPA
is committed to working with cities to save water, money, and aquatic
ecosystems," Benjamin Grumbles, EPA's assistant administrator for water, told
BNA.
"Water is life and infrastructure sustains it," Grumbles told attendees at the
annual summit of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington, D.C., where the
findings of the survey were released.
EPA Plans Proposal to Ease Burden
Grumbles said EPA is planning to propose a rule that would establish criteria
for community water supply systems to seek waivers from the costly burdens of
complying with rules established under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
This move was in response to a "loud and clear message" from the respondents,
who said implementing environmental rules is too costly, Grumbles said. The
proposed rule is a result of a provision in the 1996 amendments to the Safe
Drinking Water Act that allows communities to seek waivers from complying with
new rules, if the rules are too costly to implement and provided that health
standards are met.
NACWA Reiterates Call for Trust Fund
The National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), which represents
publicly owned wastewater treatment plants, said the findings reaffirm the need
to address the aging infrastructure.
Adam Krantz, NACWA's managing director of government and regulatory affairs,
told BNA that NACWA and 20 other organizations were moving in favor of
establishing a Clean Water Trust Fund that would provide grants and loans to
critical infrastructure projects.
Rep. John Duncan (R-Tenn.), who chairs the House Transportation and
Infrastructure's water subcommittee, is the sponsor of the Clean Water Trust Act
of 2005 (H.R. 4560). This bill would raise $7.5 billion each year from "an
equitable system of user fees," which EPA would recommend to Congress 180 days
after enactment.
Grumbles said EPA was in no position to dictate federally approved rates, but it
would encourage cities to explore full-value pricing in which a customer is
charged the full value of drinking water and wastewater services.
Until cities start exploring the full range of financing schemes, including
full-value pricing and public-private financing partnerships, Grumbles warned
"we will not see much progress made."
The survey finds that roughly half of the respondents were willing to engage in
public-private partnership financing schemes to upgrade infrastructure.
Diane VanDe Hei, executive director of the Association of Metropolitan Water
Agencies (AMWA), said the survey results "underscore a need for a stronger
federal partner in the effort by communities to improve and maintain water
infrastructure."
VanDe Hei said Congress has that opportunity in the Water Infrastructure
Financing Act of 2005 (S. 1400). She said the bill "would provide a federal
share that would be matched with local dollars to renew community water system
infrastructure and add to the security of water supplies."
Security of Water Infrastructure
Since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C., and
hurricanes Rita and Katrina, national groups for drinking water and wastewater
facilities have been developing tools to help utilities prepare for other such
catastrophes.
To secure drinking water supplies, EPA in November 2005 launched a new security
database with information about dangerous contaminants that could endanger
drinking water supplies, either through accidental or intentional acts (228 DEN
A-4, 11/29/05) .
EPA aims to eventually link the Water Contaminant Information Tool database with
another secure, Internet-based database that shares current information on
threats and incidents among the intelligence community and water utilities and
states. This database was established in December 2002.
Likewise, NACWA has developed guidance and software that allows utilities to
conduct self-assesments of potential vulnerabilities to both terrorist attacks
and natural disasters such as flooding and earthquakes.
To obtain a copy of the National City Water Survey 2005, contact Rich Anderson
at randerson@usmayors.org by e-mail or (202) 861-6784 by telephone.
By Amena H. Saiyid