The Nation’s Crumbling Water Infrastructure Is a Collective Threat

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(Newswire.net — August 26, 2018) –Across the country, sewer systems are requiring major overhauls costing millions, and sometimes even billions, of dollars. In particular, Kentucky’s ageing drinking water and sewer systems are in dire need of billions of dollars in investments to prevent a total collapse of the system from harming public health and the environment, according to Kentucky’s Energy and Environment Cabinet.

While the state has already secured some investments, they are not nearly enough to cover the steep cost of the repairs. The state state still requires almost $15 billion to cover the costs of additional infrastructure improvements that will be needed over the next two decades. Deputy Cabinet Secretary, Bruce Scott, reported to the Senate standing committee on natural resources that, “We have to make an investment, we cannot avoid making the investment in water and sewers and dams. The only real question is when.”

In Kentucky, the entire sewer and pipe system is ageing, decrepit and falling apart. The state’s 213 drinking water treatment plants are approximately 38 years old on average, the wastewater treatment plants were built over 36 years ago on average, and most of the drinking water lines and sewer pipes are considerably older. Furthermore, according to state estimates, only 62 percent of wastewater operators are in compliance with inspections, probably because the ageing infrastructure does not enable them to reach higher levels of compliance.

The dire situation in Kentucky is not an exception. The American Society for Civil Engineers gave a collective D+ to the entire country for the water and sewage infrastructure in a 2017 report. Over the next 25 years, an estimated $271 billion is needed to address immediate needs and increase the capacity of treatment plants across the country as a whole. Indiana and Illinois, specifically, also require a huge investment in drinking water and wastewater systems, similar to what Kentucky requires. Yet, these states are not even in the worst situations – it is estimated that Ohio needs to spend at least twice of what Kentucky needs to invest.

According to VA Plumbing, age is indeed a significant cause of sewer line and pipe issues, but infrastructure problems can also be caused and exacerbated by different variables such as the use of low-quality materials, tree root intrusion and natural settling of the ground. Each situation is unique and needs to be assessed and repaired by qualified and experienced technicians.

Scott, from the Energy and Environment Cabinet, added that taking a proactive approach – despite the huge initial expense – will actually end up saving Kentucky money in the long run. “When we spend money upfront earlier it’s a cheaper long-term investment than if we spend money in a reactive mode,” Scott said.