States Need Congress to Avert New Clean Water Crisis

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Thirty-five Years After the Clean Water Act:
States Need Congress to Avert New Clean Water Crisis

New Food & Water Watch Report Highlights Urgent Federal Funding Needs For Clean Water Infrastructure Across The Country

Washington, DC – Nearly 35 years after the passage of the Clean Water Act, the majority of states are facing clean water infrastructure needs far greater than available funding, according to a report released today by Food & Water Watch.  Federal support for water pipes and treatment plants has declined from a high of approximately $2 billion in 1991 to slightly more than $1 billion in 2007 – a 66 percent decrease when adjusted for inflation. 

“Each year we fall more than $20 billion short of what is needed to maintain our public water and sewer systems,” said Food & Water Watch Executive Director Wenonah Hauter. “As recent tragedies have shown, U.S. infrastructure has seen decades of neglect. Our water systems, invisible under our homes and businesses, are facing a similar problem – one that may lead to a public health crisis.”

“The Clean Water Act has served us well for 35 years.  But without needed funding, communities around the country are straining to restore and protect our shared water resources.  We need a new solution to ensure that we are able to live up to the promise of clean water for future generations.  It’s time for a water trust fund,” said Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR).

The report, “Clear Waters: Why America Needs a Clean Water Trust Fund,” is an analysis of state clean water needs and available funding through the primary federal program for clean water, the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, or SRF. Tied to the contentious congressional appropriations process, the federal government contribution to total clean water spending has shrunk dramatically, from 78 percent in 1978 to just 3 percent today, forcing states to make tough choices among critical water projects.

Food & Water Watch spoke to a number of Clean Water State Revolving Fund managers to prepare the report: “As infrastructure ages and the population grows, the demand for financial assistance increases. For example, for [fiscal year] 2008 we offered $70.6 million and funds requested for high priority water quality projects exceeded $141.7 million,” Brian Howard, SRF coordinator with the Washington state Water Quality Program told Food & Water Watch researchers. “The backlog is growing,” warned James McGoff, director of Indiana’s Finance Authority for Environmental Programs.

“Food & Water Watch’s report points out that small, rural communities are the most burdened by under funding.  Millions of rural Americans still live without adequate water and sewer service, though they often pay much more for these services than their urban and suburban counterparts.  It’s time for Congress to recommit to funding clean water for all Americans,” explained Aaron Fishbach, Director of Applied Research & Policy Development, Rural Community Assistance Partnerships (RCAP).

“Sewage spills result in an astounding 860 billion gallons of untreated water, filth, chemicals and bacteria into our rivers and other water bodies, and we spend much more to clean up spills than we would to prevent them,” said American Rivers Policy Director for Budget and Appropriations Peter Raabe. “It’s high time for a dedicated funding source to help communities prevent pollution from contaminating our rivers.”

“As we commemorate the passage of the Clean Water Act 35 years ago, considered by some to be the most successful environmental law ever enacted, we must recognize that the water quality gains we made would not have been possible without a significant investment from the federal government.  Now local governments are shouldering more than 95 percent of the cost of their clean water obligations.  Without a federal recommitment to clean water that includes a long-term, sustainable financing mechanism, the gains we have made will be wiped out by 2016,” concluded Ken Kirk, Executive Director of the National Association of Clean Water Agencies.

Among the facts highlighted in Food & Water Watch’s report are the following:

• Old infrastructure is often unable to handle increased capacity demands, breaking down and releasing untreated sewage. Combined sewer overflows from failing and insufficient infrastructure wreak environmental havoc on a massive scale: According to the Environmental Protection Agency, between 23,000 and 75,000 overflows spill out 1.26 trillion gallons of untreated sewage and incur $50.6 billion in cleanup costs each year.
• Should federal allocations continue to shrink, small communities will be hit particularly hard. Since the revolving fund’s inception, 64 percent of loans have gone to communities of fewer than 10,000 residents. That number has grown in recent years, from 68 percent in 2005 to 72 percent in 2006.
• California faces the worst deficit, with five-year projected needs of $10.5 billion, 210 times its projected 2008 federal funding. The state-identified needs ranged from 3 to 169 times federal funding distributed in 2007.
• An overwhelming 83 percent of Americans would support legislation to create a clean water trust fund to keep clean water a right for future generations.

The report and state specific factsheets are posted at www.foodandwaterwatch.org/water/clearwaters

Food & Water Watch will also host a national conference call to discuss findings and policy recommendations in the Food & Water Watch report at 2 p.m. eastern.  RSVP to 202-797-6553 or news@fwwatch.org for call-in instructions.