On March 22nd we celebrate World Water Day, which is a day set aside to focus on the importance of the availability of fresh water. There is a shortage of fresh water worldwide which is contributing to worldwide instability.  World Water Day was started to bring attention to this crisis. As this crisis grows it not only impacts people's health throughout the world, but also contributes to worldwide hunger, economics and world peace.

Right now there are over 663 million people living without a safe access to water close to home. Many people have to trek long distances to collect water and, oftentimes, that water is contaminated.

 

Water Crisis in the U.S.

 

We may feel having a water crisis is a 3rd world problem, but we have a water crisis here in the United States. Ours does not involve children or women walking miles to a contaminated water source, but it is just as severe.  Ours is a first world crisis of a crumbling water infrastructure and water sources drying up due to man made climate issues.

The water crisis in Flint generated the most concern because it has been in the news, but they are not alone in their situation. In a large part, our water sources are drying up as a result of climate change and overuse by growing populations which contribute to the looming crisis here. But in addition to that we are also dealing with antiquated water systems, many of them built in the 19th century.

 

Water Drying Up

 

Some researchers claim that Lake Mead which serves over 22 million people may be dry by 1921. And the Colorado River is actually running dry in some places, in particular the lower course, near Baja, California. Both of these are as a result of droughts and overuse.

In 2014, 40 out of 50 state water managers said they expected a water shortage that year, according to a consumer watchdog report. And in 2015, NASA conducted a study which showed climate change could increase the risk of "megadroughts" that could render large parts of the country as nearly uninhabitable.  These "megadroughts" could last as long as 35 years.

 

Infrastructure Problems

 

The other part of the problem is our aging water infrastructure. Some of our oldest pipes were cast iron pipes installed in the 1880's and were expected to only last about 120 years. Newer pipes installed post WWII were designed to last about 75 years. Most of our water systems in this country are now over 100 years old. These pipes are time bombs, just waiting to go off.

There is something of an urban renaissance taking place in this country, especially on the coasts as more and more people are moving to the cities. As streets are dug up for new construction in these cities they are finding wooden pipes delivering water laid down a century and a half ago. In New York there are only two main tunnels delivering water to over 8 million in the city. One tunnel was completed in 1917 and the other in 1936.

 

Elevated Lead Levels

 

The elevated lead levels in the water in Flint has made us aware of the dire situation our water infrastructure is in. Over 6 million water system pipes in this country are lead. These pipes serve over 7% of homes in the U.S. affecting over 22 million people. These are not the arterial lines serving cities but the private lines going to people's homes. Many of these lines feed water to schools and day care centers. Data from the EPA has shown that over 350 schools and daycare centers have failed lead tests over 470 times between 2012 and 2015.

 

CNN Report

 

In an investigative story published by CNN (www.cnn.com/2016/06/28/us/epa-lead-in-u-s-water-systems/), June 26,2016, 18 million Americans are using water from systems that are in violation of the law. According to a report provided to CNN by multiple agencies and water experts, many cities and states have been gaming the system in testing for lead content to make it appear they have lower lead content in their water. They do not follow the EPA guidelines to test for lead and copper and as a result the results are skewed to show less lead in the water than actually exists. When tested correctly the lead content is shown to be quite high.

Also when they find high lead and copper content they don't report it to the residents as required. While the EPA is aware of these violations they have done little to stop them. There are over 5300 violations, but states have only taken action against 818 cases and the EPA against only 88 cases. Because so many utilities "game" the system in testing many more places could be in violation that have not been reported.  It is important to note that the EPA has said that many of the areas mentioned in the CNN report are working to correct the lead problem.

 

Reuter's Investigation

 

There are places that have more exposure to lead from drinking water than Flint. In a Reuters's investigation they found 3000 areas with lead poisoning rates at least double Flint's at the peak of their crisis.  And more than 1,100 communities tested for at least 4 times higher for elevated blood tests.   

 

Solutions

In 2016 Congress overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan bill "Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act of 2016" (WIIN) with a goal to address our water infrastructure crisis. This bill works hand in hand with the Water Resources Development Act also passed in 2016 On March 17th, 2017, the EPA awarded $100 million for Flint's water crisis. This grant will be matched by $20 million from the state. 

WIIN works hand in hand with the Water Resources Development Act which was also passed in 2016 with the goal to improve our wastewater and drinking water infrastructure as well as improve our waterways used for commerce, recreation, address our aging and crumbling dams and restoring ecosystems.

Costs

What does this cost us?  To fix the the immediate danger of lead pipes would cost an estimated $30 billion nationally.  According to the Associated General Contractors of America it will cost between $400 billion to $600 billion over the next 20 years to update our aging drinking water and wastewater systems.  

How all of these repairs gets paid for is still a mystery.  Battles to pass bills to address this crisis have been stalled in the House of Representatives.  Because most of these repairs are done on the local level the costs are sometimes passed onto the consumer.  In some of the hardest hit areas consumers water bills could triple.