Special Briefing: America's $900 Billion Water Crisis

While the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $50 billion to upgrade America’s drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater systems, much more will be needed to address the nation’s water infrastructure needs amid a changing climate and shifts in population. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates the US will need almost $900 billion in water investment over the next twenty years, plus hundreds of billions more for maintenance. These sums will burden federal, state and local budgets but also pose new opportunities—and risks—for investors in water projects. 

Our panel of experts includes Senator Bill Bradley, former United States Senator, D-NJ; Doug Evanson, executive vice president and chief financial officer, San Antonio Water System; Howard Neukrug, executive director, The Water Center at the University of Pennsylvania; Nicole Lick, senior life scientist, water division, United States Environmental Protection Agency Mid-Atlantic Region; and Reese Tisdale, president and chief executive officer, Bluefield Research. 

Notable Quotes: 

“There was bipartisan support for the infrastructure bill, and so this is a matter of modifying and taking that support and moving into something even more critical than roads and bridges –– our supply of water to areas of the country that don't have it.” - Senator Bill Bradley 

“It's amazing how much the water industry has changed in the last ten years and certainly 20 to 30 years looking back, but the concept of reusing water, particularly in the West and other parts of the world, is… new… it’s a technology that's growing.” - Howard Neukrug 

“The VISTA Ridge water supply project [in San Antonio] has been recognized nationally as one of the largest public-private partnerships to be constructed in North America....The project is essential for San Antonio meeting its demand requirements in 2023 and could not have been completed without the public-private partnership structure.” - Doug Evanson 

“Ever since the Clean Water Act, since 1976, federal funding towards the water sector has shifted away from 15% to 5% now. [That funding gap] has been pushed on the local communities and local governments to address the challenges that they face.” - Reese Tisdale 

“52 years ago, the Clean Water Act resulted in $200 billion in federal water infrastructure investments over a 10-year period, and that investment was incredibly successful in cleaning up our water.... But it also means that our water infrastructure is aging and nearing the end of its lifespan and requires upgrades or replacement.” - Nicole Lick 

Be sure to subscribe to Special Briefing to stay up to date on the world of public finance. Learn more about the Volcker Alliance at: volckeralliance.org Learn more about Penn IUR at: penniur.upenn.edu Connect with us @VolckerAlliance and @PennIUR on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn Special Briefing is published by the Volcker Alliance, as part of its Public Finance initiatives, and Penn IUR. The views expressed on this podcast are those of the panelists and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Volcker Alliance or Penn IUR.