Stimulus Funding For Wastewater Infrastructure

The stimulus package, as I understand it, contains billions of dollars for the wastewater industry. Specifically, the package includes $6 billion for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) (the state revolving fund is a low interest loan that is used to construct wastewater treatment facilities) and $3.8 billion for rural water and wastewater systems and other related projects. After the stimulus package was approved, several senators approached the Senate Appropriation Chair to include $5 billion more in the Senate version to address combined sewer overflow systems. Again, being in the industry, I’m happy to hear this because that could lead to more projects.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not only thinking about the potential work for the industry that could come from this package. I’m thinking about treatment facilities already stretched to their capacity. There are plenty cities in the Midwest and the East coast that still operate on combined sewer systems. When there are wet weather events raw, sewerage is potentially discharged to local rivers and streams that you use for recreation. There are a lot of wastewater treatment plants struggling to meet their sanitary sewerage demands.

So, it’s not just so us folks in the wastewater industry have work, it because a matter of public health. From that stand point it would seem like the stimulus funding for wastewater infrastructure is a must.

Then I started reading about how there are estimates out there that the nation’s clean water needs over the next 20 – 25 is expected to be between $500 billion to $1.2 trillion to bring our water infrastructure up to code. Based on Congressional Budget Office estimates, we would be looking at an annual investment of $12 billion to $20 billion for clean drinking water and an additional $13 billion to $21 billion for wastewater treatment. Based on how we have been funding these projects to date, there is annual gap for the water and wastewater infrastructure spending of about $3 billion to $20 billion.

This made me wonder. Should stimulus funding for wastewater infrastructure be included in the stimulus package? It would appear to me that this should just fall under annual federal spending. I’m curious to hear your thoughts.