Clean Water Advocacy - Newsroom - AMSA in the News
Engineering News-Record
(c) 2004 McGraw-Hill, Inc.
Monday, September 13, 2004
Volume 253, Number 10
Washington Observer
Sewer System Needs Spark Trust Fund Talk
Tom Ichniowski
Faced with a huge price tag for water infrastructure needs, industry officials
have a two-part plan. In the short term, they're seeking at a minimum to avoid a
2005 cut in federal aid for state revolving funds for clean water. But industry
advocates realize holding the status quo at $1.35 billion won't plug the gap.
For the long-term, they want a trust fund. The latest water warning came in an
Aug. 26 Environmental Protection Agency report sewer overflows. EPA says there
has been progress on that front and that it has been aggressive in enforcement.
But its study also says combined sewer overflows in 31 states and the District
of Columbia discharge 850 billion gallons per year. Sanitary sewer overflow
volume is three billion to 10 billion gallons annually. EPA says overflows cause
3,500 to 5,500 gastrointestinal illnesses a year on U.S. beaches.
EPA estimates it will take nearly $140 billion over 20 years to cut overflow
volume significantly. Its report doesn't call for increased federal funds. In
fact, the Bush administration's 2005 budget would slice aid to clean water SRFs,
some of which goes to overflows, by more than 33%, to $850 million. The House
Appropriations Committee approved the same sum. Industry hopes the Senate will
go higher. Steve Hall, American Council of Engineering Companies' vice president
for government affairs, says, "Congress has always been good at protecting that
funding and we expect them to do so again this year."
Beyond 2005, "We need to really start talking about dramatically increased
funding and dedicated funding," says Adam Krantz, Association of Metropolitan
Sewerage Agencies managing director for government and public affairs. "We've
got to leap way beyond [2004 SRF spending] and a trust fund approach is a good
way to do that," adds Hall.
Ed Hopkins, Sierra Club environmental quality program director, says his
organization's support for a trust fund would depend on the plan's financing and
other specifics. But he believes "a stable, long-term source of funding for
water infrastructure is an important goal." Krantz concedes a trust fund bill
won't pass this year. But he says AMSA is developing a measure and hopes to have
it introduced in 2005.