Stimulus Bill and Water Infrastructure Spending

The $787 billion stimulus bill congress prepared and passed for President Obama’s signature in February allocates between $90 and $120 billion dollars to infrastructure spending, including monies for highways, trains and expanding broadband Internet access. (New York Times). $18 billion for clean water, flood control and environmental restoration. (Detroit Free Press). However, only $6.4 billion for clean and drinking water projects (AP). While the debate about value of the stimulus bill to turn the economy around continues, it is clear that the investment the Stimulus Bill allocated toward water related project falls far short of the estimates of $500-800 billion dollar requirement over the next 20 years. (Steve Allbee, EPA Gap Study, http://ydesign72705.blogspot.com/2008/12/finding-pathway-for-sustainable-water.html )

Since President Obama left the details of this bill to House Democrats to pull together, it is clear that the priorities of the Water and Wastewater industry did not get much consideration among the many competing priorities. While some see that $500-800 billion dollar investment in water as one of the most significant crisis facing the United States today, the House Democrat Representatives only allocate less then 1% of the total Stimulus investment in water. The failure of Congress to see investment in water infrastructure as simulative and crucial to local economies, underscores the point that our industry does not have ear of the public and, therefore, does not have the ear of politicians.

To educate our public and eventually our politicians on the investments needed to maintain their critical water infrastructure, I am recommending the following steps:

1.) Develop a specific outreach plan for your plant for 2009. Consider the methods and opportunities you have to reach your customers and to educate them on their assets and how those assets support their ability to turn on a water faucet in their home and/or flush their toilets.
2.) Develop at least a “back of the envelope” estimate of your asset inventory, when the asset was installed, and when it will die. Start at a high level (i.e. plant phases, collections system “subdivisions”, etc…) and don’t be afraid to make some educated guesses to quickly project your replacement expectations over the next 100 years. Graph this information to share through your public communications.
3.) Plan a workshop for key stakeholders (City counsel, local community organizations, teachers, etc…) at your facility to discuss their assets. Consider purchasing a copy of Liquid Assets $24.95 http://liquid.assets.media.psu.edu/moreInfo_8015DVD.html and using the accompanying community event materials as an outline for your workshop. See more at: http://www.waterspheres.com/profiles/blogs/please-organize-a-community
4.) As federal and state spending programs are under consideration, don’t hesitate to ask your newly informed customers to speak to their elected representatives to request help in maintaining their infrastructure.

If you would like more information on asset management in general and ways reach out to your local customers with their specific asset future outlook, please feel free to subscribe to the PNCWA Asset Management Newsletter by sending an email to: marc@wllcamg.com Subject:SUBSCRIBE. You are also welcome to send your questions and comments to marc@wllcamg.com.

Additional Resources:


http://www.nuca.com/i4a/pages/Index.cfm?pageID=2048 Has the latest news on stimuls amounts.


http://www.bcwaternews.com/InfrastructureFunding/blog.html Brown and Caldwell reference page



http://www.wef.org/GovernmentAffairs/StimulusFunding/index.htm WEF Stimulus Page