Water infrastructure: The last and next 100 years

Appreciating the history of water and wastewater is important but it is also necessary to look into the future. As stated in AWWA's State of the Industry Report, the repair, replacement and refurbishment of the water infrastructure is a dominant concern for water utility managers. The networks laid down during periods of rapid urban and suburban growth have lasted a long time, so it's necessary that utilities replace them with new and advance ones. AWWA is exploring wastewater infrastructure needs comprehensively by expanding the scope of its Buried No Longer report and the accompanying drinking water pipe replacement modeling tool to include wastewater pipe networks. AWWA strongly supports SRF (state revolving funds), which provide critical support not only for utilities but also for states, which are allowed to siphon certain amounts off the top of federal capitalization grants for the support of state administrations and supported programs.