Recent reports have called for Virginia and the U.S. to invest in water infrastructure. The American Water Alliance’s “Bridging the Gap” report looks at two scenarios: continued investment under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and funding returning to previous levels. Virginia received a C+ in the American Society of Civil Engineers’ most recent infrastructure report.
Christy Harowski, value of water campaign director for the American Water Alliance, said reverting to previous spending rates is not a realistic option.
“The water investment gap is $2.6 trillion in 2043, which is a huge amount of money. But if we continued to invest at IIJA spending levels over that same period, that gap would be reduced by $125 billion,” Harowski said.
This is based on an Environmental Protection Agency needs assessment that finds the national water infrastructure investment gap to be $91 billion, and will only grow if the bill’s levels are not maintained. She noted that continued investment at IIJA rates would create long-term impacts, including preserving 200,000 jobs and saving households about $7,000 over 20 years.
One of the challenges of investing in water infrastructure is that, for most people, out of sight, out of mind. Because most water infrastructure is funded with local and state funds, being proactive at the federal level means updating the IIJA beyond its expiration date in 2026. Harowski said past divestment has allowed existing infrastructure to deteriorate.
“Much of America’s water infrastructure is about 100 years old,” she says, “and in some places even older. It’s well beyond its useful life, which means we’re seeing an increase in water main breaks and leaking pipes, and the need to repair and replace much of our infrastructure is far outpacing the investments we’re making.”
Investment in water infrastructure remains a key issue for voters. Water Value Index polling shows there is strong bipartisan support for maintaining IIJA investments. The majority of voters surveyed are willing to pay a modest rate increase to support local public works projects that improve water accessibility and the health of their communities.
Receive stories like this via email
Federal and Illinois state laws are at odds over ownership, access and use of the state’s streams, lakes and rivers, and the state Legislature has failed to pass legislation to address them.
Some waterways are subject to Illinois state law and allow public access, and federal law allows private ownership of most Illinois waterways.
House Bill 4708, which almost didn’t make it into the 2024 legislative session, proposes giving open access to any lake, river or stream that can support commercial or recreational activities.
The Illinois Environmental Council wants the bill to pass, and Elliot Clay, the council’s land use program director, said he’s optimistic lawmakers will take up the bill in the future.
“We’ve got a long way to go to pass this bill,” Clay said. “We introduced it in the Legislature last year, and we certainly intend to reintroduce this bill, especially during the next legislative session in 2025. There has been some pretty strong opposition to this bill, especially from the agricultural community.”
Some people believe that if a river runs through someone’s land, it belongs to them. Clay noted that past court decisions have found that’s not the case.
According to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, there are approximately 88,000 miles of rivers and streams within the state’s borders.
Currently, about 2 percent of Illinois’ surface waters are navigable for boating, fishing and swimming.
Mila Marshall, clean water advocate for the Sierra Club of Illinois, said HB 4708 will increase the number of people interested in keeping streams clean and healthy.
“This law makes the language clearer and more explicit that water is available to all,” Marshall said, “while still allowing landowners to protect their private property and preserving the recognition that the water that flows through the river bottom is free and open to the public.”
Marshall, who has a doctorate in ecology and evolutionary biology, said Illinois’ Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy, created in 2015, is key to cleaner lakes, streams and rivers.
The program outlines best practices for improving water quality by reducing nitrogen and phosphorus levels.
Disclosure: The Sierra Club contributes to our fund for coverage of climate change/air quality, energy policy, the environment and environmental justice. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, please click here.
Receive stories like this via email
Some rural South Dakota residents struggled to get quality drinking water, so the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation awarded grants to two local communities to help improve the situation.
Projects in Eagle Butte and Day County will benefit from nearly $13 million in WaterSmart Drought Resilience grant funding. The Muni-Washute Water Company, run by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, will receive $2.8 million to install a water main 10 miles northwest of the community to provide water to 17 existing homes and 20 homes under construction.
Leo Fisher, executive director of the Muni Washte Water Company and an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, said the water company began planning the project in 1993, during which time people living there had to haul water.
“It’s more of a hassle to haul it around in the back of your car,” Fisher noted, “and in the winter, everything freezes over.”
Piped water is important in the area because the area’s groundwater wells have poor quality, must be pumped deep into the ground, and have proven unreliable.
On the east side, the WEB Water Development Association will receive about $10 million to build about 40 miles of pipeline to provide drinking water to more than 700 people in the city of Wau Bay and rural Day County.
Shane Phillips, the association’s general manager, said it was ironic that the project would take place in Day County, known for its abundance of water.
“The water quality in Day County is actually not that good,” Phillips noted. “It’s high in dissolved solids and very high in minerals.”
Phillips added that the company hopes to break ground on the project to pipe and treat drinking water from the Missouri River in 2025. The Bureau of Reclamation has awarded Water Smart grants in 11 states this year.
Receive stories like this via email
The Duck River, which flows through seven counties in Middle Tennessee, is on the list of the most endangered rivers in the country.
The group American Rivers compiles the list annually and said expanding development and multiple uses have strained the Duck River’s water supply.
Grace Stranch, CEO of the Harpeth Conservation Society, said the river is home to more than 150 species of fish, 56 species of mussels and 22 species of snails, but she warned that population growth and industrial expansion are putting the river’s ecosystem at a tipping point.
“If you look at the ecological situation in the river, you’re already seeing mussels stranding, which means there’s not enough water, but mussels need water, so they’re in what we call a ‘stranded’ state, they don’t have the water to survive,” Stranch explained. “At the current levels, we’re already seeing this.”
Stranch’s group has made three recommendations to Gov. Bill Lee: The group calls for the formation of an expert stakeholder group to evaluate water quality studies of the river, develop a comprehensive long-term water use plan and allocate sufficient funding to ensure protections for the river are based on scientific data.
Stranch noted that the Duck River is the drinking water source for about 250,000 people in the region. He emphasized that in the face of the region’s growing water demand, a choice must be made between conservation and the potential depletion of water resources.
“We have to provide drinking water to all of these new residents, and new connections are needed for development,” Stranch explained. “Drinking water has to come from somewhere. What most people don’t realize in Tennessee is that the vast majority of our drinking water, about 60 percent, comes from river sources in some way.”
Stranch added that the group is particularly concerned about the impacts of overuse during droughts, noting that the Duck River is also a linchpin of the local outdoor recreation economy for anglers, boaters and kayakers, with more than 150,000 people using the river and its tributaries for recreation each year.
Receive stories like this via email
