America's got a plumbing problem. The country's aging water
infrastructure is leaking, and the plumber just came in with an
estimate: $1 trillion, payable over the next 25 years.
That's the figure given by American Water Works Association, an
industry training and research group, to ensure clean and abundant water
in a country that's grown to expect it. Unfortunately the bank account
needed to pay this bill -- government spending and bonds backed by taxes
and utility bills -- is running dry.
What America needs is a new bank to finance its aging pipes and more incentives to reuse waste water, according to a report
released this month by Ceres, the Johnson Foundation at Wingspread and
American Rivers. They call for a government-funded infrastructure bank
that leverages private capital to bring the U.S. water system into the
21st century.
Right now America's leaky pipes and broken taps waste about 6 billion
gallons a day, or 14 percent of America's treated water. These leaks
that can be fixed for far less than it costs to add new capacity, or
address other forms of waste -- such as the 4.8 billion gallons of
potable water flushed down toilets every day.
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