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Congress urged to develop long-term infrastructure funding solution
WASHINGTON — A representative of the Water Infrastructure Network (WIN)
testified this week before the US House Water Resources and Environment
Subcommittee, pointing out the need for Congress to take a lead role in
developing a long-term, sustainable funding solution to help cities rehabilitate
their aging water and wastewater systems.
William B. Schatz, General Counsel, Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District,
Cleveland, OH, spoke on behalf of WIN at the hearing on the topic of "Meeting
the Nation's Wastewater Infrastructure Needs," the water group said in a news
release.
Schatz said there is a massive funding shortfall between what the rehabilitation
will cost and what cities have to fund the upgrades.
He also discussed the enormous infrastructure funding needs in Cleveland,
stating that since 1972 his district has invested over $1.8 billion in its
facilities, including treatment plants and combined sewer overflow control
facilities, WIN said.
Although capital program projections for these efforts exceeds $1 billion over
the next 25 years, recently completed planning studies reveal that the Cleveland
district will need another $1.35 billion in new infrastructure to comply with
requirements, according to WIN.
Despite the existing consensus of the massive funding shortfall, the federal
commitment to fund-continued water improvements has declined drastically in
recent years, according to WIN, leaving municipalities to shoulder more than 90
percent of current infrastructure repair and replacement costs.
WIN is a coalition of nearly 40 organizations representing drinking water and
wastewater agencies, elected officials, labor, environmentalists and engineering
and construction firms.
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