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RISK ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM - INFRASTRUCTURE INITIATIVE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
Citation:
GOODRICH, J. A. AND D. J. MURRAY. RISK ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM - INFRASTRUCTURE INITIATIVE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY. Presented at Fourth US/Japan Governmental Conference on Drinking Water Quality Management and Wastewater Control, Okinawa, JAPAN, January 25 - 28, 2007.
Impact/Purpose:
To inform the public
Description:
The current problem in the United States is that the water infrastructure is aging and spending has not been adequate to repair, replace, or rehabilitate drinking water distribution systems and wastewater collection systems. The American Society of Civil Engineers Report Card in 2005 rated both the drinking water and wastewater infrastructure as “D-.“ It was stated that there is a risk in reversing the public health, environmental and economic gains of the past three decades if the infrastructure is allowed to continue deteriorating. Sanitary sewer overflows caused by broken pipes are thought to be responsible for releasing as much as 10 billion gallons of raw sewage yearly. The difference between projected needs and required spending to improve the water infrastructure ranges from $0 to over $13 billion per year for drinking water and $3 billion to over $26 billion for wastewater collection systems. The U.S. EPA has responded to this problem as part of its Sustainable Infrastructure Strategy. This strategy is based upon Four Pillars: • better management, • water efficiency • full cost pricing, and • watershed approach