by Mary Scott Nabers When the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill (BIL) went into effect in 2021, it included the largest funding allocation ever made for water infrastructure – $55 billion for projects to improve access to clean drinking water throughout the United States. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was selected to allocate these funds to state and […]
The water purification problem is compounded even more because drinking water also is contaminated daily by industry, antiquated lead pipe delivery systems, and weakening government oversight. An estimated 105 million people receive water from public water systems that use groundwater, and one federal agency proclaims that an estimated 22 percent of public wells for those systems have one or more contaminants at unsafe levels for human health.
Billions of dollars are spent each year to renew, replace, expand, or upgrade water systems. The need to do more, and spend more, increases each year. That’s because the country’s aging water infrastructure has been neglected for too long.
As public officials begin to look at 2021, many are preparing to launch large infrastructure projects. Several of these efforts may be delivered through public-private partnerships (P3s). Most infrastructure-related projects are complex, diverse, critical in nature, and costly. Here are a few worthy of note.
Will Congress be willing to fund billions more for water infrastructure? There are thousands of critical issues facing Congress, but few are more significant than the funding of water infrastructure in America. Because elected officials have had a total focus on COVID-19 these last few months, capturing the attention of government leaders has been almost impossible. But, that must happen because the availability of clean and adequate water resources impacts every citizen, industry, and region of the country.
Public utilities are under extreme pressure and their needs, which fall into the critical category, are common.
Almost every public system that supplies citizens with electricity, gas, water, and sewage services is old. They suffer from the decline that comes with age, deferred maintenance, and the failure to upgrade as technology and needs evolve. Utility officials, like most other government leaders, are being asked to do more with less. That makes it extremely difficult to perform and terribly frustrating to endure.
Looking for engineering and construction opportunities? Look no further than ports!
Investment in America’s ports is accelerating significantly and port spending will increase again in 2019. Because of the neo-Panamax megaships, ports throughout the country are expanding shipping channels and harbors. They are also expanding rail lines and constructing new facilities or significantly expanding older ones. No port in America wants to be left out as shipping activity is increasing rapidly.