Access to safe, clean water is necessary for life itself. But water systems in the US have failed to maintain their delivery systems.
Access to safe, clean water is necessary for life itself, not to mention health. Water systems in the US, however, have failed to maintain their 2.2 million miles of underground delivery infrastucture, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers 2021 Report Card for America's Infrastructure. There is a water main break every two minutes, according to the Report Card, and an estimated 6 billion gallons of treated water lost each day in the US.
According to the Report Card, local water agencies are increasing their investment in replacing aging pipes. Nevertheless, for 2020, that increase was expected to involve replacement of less than 13,000 miles of pipe. In 2019, utilities were replacing between 1% and 4.8% of their pipelines annually.
The Report Card says that in coming years, the nation's water systems will require "staggering" levels of investment. It notes:
Funding for drinking water infrastructure has not kept pace with the growing need to address aging infrastructure systems, and current funding sources do not meet the total needs. In general, however, state and local governments have invested more than their federal counterparts. Despite the growing need for drinking water infrastructure, the federal government’s share of capital spending in the water sector fell from 63% in 1977 to 9% of total capital spending in 2017. On average, about two-thirds of public spending for capital investment in water infrastructure since the 1980s has been made by state and local governments.
President Biden's infrastructure plan and statements call for massive investment in pipe replacement -- and replacing all pipes with lead in them.