TFTT Report

Two recent articles focused on the enormous amount of investment needed to address the nation’s crumbling water infrastructure. In the first piece, The Harvard Political Review examined the country’s water infrastructure and found major gaps in the much-needed funding of repairs and updates to water systems. In a Huffington Post op-ed, Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro urged President-Elect Donald Trump to utilize public-private investments when drafting a policy proposal to improve infrastructure of all kinds nationwide.

Many of our nation’s water systems were built during World War II or even earlier and, decades later, they are in need of significant repairs and replacement. Every year, an estimated 240,000 water mains break in the United States, resulting in a loss of 7 billion gallons of water each day. And the EPA estimates the investment gap for drinking water infrastructure alone at $384 billion through 2030.

There is widespread recognition that private finance and public-private partnerships are crucial to meeting infrastructure challenges. While our water infrastructure may be buried out of sight, it faces serious investment needs that cannot be ignored and we are encouraged by the increased attention to this looming problem and the need to have all options on the table.