TFTT Report

Earlier this month, Epcor USA President and NAWC Executive Board President Joe Gysel testified in front of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. In his testimony, he highlighted the importance of investing in aging water infrastructure and noted how private water companies are uniquely situated to provide such investment.

“The private water utility sector focuses on long-term planning by making the appropriate and necessary investment for our nation’s communities,” he said. “Such investments and strategies are required by Public Utility Commissions in the ratemaking process throughout the United States. As a result, private water companies are generally more fiscally responsible and consistently perform with measurable efficiency gains over municipally owned utilities.”

Gysel also reminded the Committee of some alarming statistics about the enormous level of investment needed in America’s water infrastructure. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimates the funding gap to be as high as $1 trillion and the American Society of Civil Engineers has given the U.S. water infrastructure a D grade.

Gysel also made it clear in this testimony that both public and private water solutions and investments are needed to bridge the funding gap and solve the infrastructure crisis.

“It is important that the federal government look to all sources of capital – both public and private – to invest in water infrastructure. Federal funds alone will not bridge the growing investment gap,” concluded Gysel.