The US Water Alliance has advocated for increased investment in water infrastructure since 2015 through our Value of Water Campaign. Water is essential to everything we do, to every community, business, and home in the United States.
Today, President Biden released an ambitious infrastructure plan, the “American Jobs Plan” that included an unprecedented and historic $111 billion investment in water infrastructure. It is heartening to see water be prominently featured in the plan after years of water infrastructure being out of sight and out of mind. We commend today’s commitment to water infrastructure as a reflection and recognition of political will to take action to begin to close the water infrastructure investment gap.
The Plan released today reflects many of the recommendations highlighted in the 2020 paper “The Economic Benefits of Investing in Water Infrastructure” produced by the Alliance’s Value of Water Campaign and the American Society of Civil Engineers. We also see in the Plan a number of funding priorities articulated in the Alliance’s Federal Policy Blueprint, released last month as part of our Recovering Stronger Initiative.
Highlights of the American Jobs Plan proposal for $111 billion in water infrastructure investment:
- To eliminate all lead pipes and service lines in the country, the plan calls for $45 billion in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and in Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act (WIIN) grants.
- To modernize aging drinking water, stormwater, and wastewater systems by scaling up existing, successful programs, the plan calls for providing $56 billion in grants and low-cost flexible loans to states, Tribes, territories, and disadvantaged communities across the country.
- Finally, the plan includes $10 billion in funding to monitor and remediate PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in drinking water and to invest in rural small water systems and household well and wastewater systems, including drainage fields.
What’s Next. The Alliance will be monitoring the implementation of President Biden’s plan and related Congressional legislation closely. We anticipate the House will introduce its version of an infrastructure bill in the coming months, and we hope to see legislative movement in the Senate this summer as well.
In April, the Value of Water Campaign will release its annual poll on American’s opinion about investing in water infrastructure, participate in Water Week (April 25-May 10), and join United for Infrastructure Week 2021 (May 10-14) to lift up the necessity of investing in water infrastructure.
Join the conversation and help us applaud this plan to invest in water infrastructure at #valuewater on Twitter at @TheValueOfWater and @USWaterAlliance.
