Press Releases

Infrastructure Coalition Calls on Congress to Make Funds Available for Drinking Water Improvements

Funds would stimulate local economies and create nearly 400,000 jobs nationwide

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, The National Association of Water Companies (NAWC) along with the American Water Works Association (AWWA), the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA), and the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators (ASDWA) called on Congress to make at least $10 billion available to finance drinking water infrastructure as legislation is considered to stimulate the nation’s economy.

The group advised Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid to distribute funds through the State Revolving Fund (SRF) structure, so long as utilities of all sizes, whether public or privately held, are assured access to stimulus funding. Some states discourage large systems from accessing their “normal” SRF program. However, independent surveys of their utility members by AWWA and the AMWA, combined with analyses by the ASDWA, confirm that if all utilities are given access to SRF funds, there is a need and an ability to spend at least $10 billion in funding quickly, putting tens of thousands of Americans to work.

In addition to directly providing jobs and creating lasting benefits by strengthening public health, safety and quality of life, investments in drinking water infrastructure highly stimulate other economic activity. Water projects depend on American pipe, fittings, cement, aggregates, and other products. The U.S. Conference of Mayors estimates that every job created in rebuilding our water systems creates over 3.6 jobs elsewhere and every dollar invested in water infrastructure adds $6.35 to the national economy.

“The SRFs are the appropriate vehicles for federal government assistance to utilities and Congress should continue working within these established and successful programs”, remarked Peter Cook, Executive Director of NAWC. “NAWC urges Congress to amend the SRFs to provide all utilities access to these funding vehicles”, he added.

Release of these funds would immediately employ more than 400,000 American workers on repairs and improvements to water mains, leaking pipes, water treatment plants, pumping stations, storage reservoirs, elevated tanks, security safeguards, and similar projects.

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