More Evidence that Our Water Infrastructure Requires Ongoing Investment To Ensure Water Quality and Reliability

By Justin Ladner, President, Pennsylvania American Water

Two recent reports on the condition of our nation’s water infrastructure have confirmed what’s been on industry leaders’ minds for years: The plants and pipes that carry, clean and store our drinking and wastewater need more investment than previously understood.

Drastically Growing Wastewater Infrastructure Investment Needs

The 2022 Clean Watersheds Needs Survey, a report to Congress published in April, identified just over $630 billion in clean water infrastructure investment needs nationwide over the next two decades.?

That’s a 73% increase in total reported needs since the previous survey in 2012.?

The U.S. EPA report found Pennsylvania alone will require almost $13 billion in that same timeframe and ranked us among states with the highest need for combined sewer overflow investment at $4.4 billion. This is not particularly surprising, given that the average age of most drinking water and sewer systems in the Commonwealth is more than 50 years old.

We’re feeling these challenges in communities across Pennsylvania. Take the City of York, for example. Facing drastically rising taxes and sewer fees, the City chose to sell its wastewater plant to Pennsylvania American Water in 2021. Our company was able to jumpstart several important investment projects to improve quality of service and reduce environmental impacts on the local watershed — while delaying rate increases and protecting the most vulnerable customers through our assistance programs.?

Wastewater investments are particularly crucial in Pennsylvania to protect our treasured rivers and watersheds, which are vital to the state’s $17 billion outdoor economy.?

Rivers like the Schuylkill have seen notable improvement with new water infrastructure investment. For example, Pennsylvania American Water upgraded the Exeter Township wastewater treatment plant to the tune of $20 million after purchasing the system in 2019. The plant, which draws from and discharges into the Schuylkill River, is now environmentally compliant and able to accommodate heavy rains.?

Drinking Water, Too, Will Require Investment

The Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment, another report to Congress from the EPA released one year ago, showed a 20-year capital improvement need of $629.1 billion for U.S. states, territories and Tribal villages to continue providing clean drinking water to the public.

Both reports highlight how new challenges like climate change, extreme weather and new regulations are putting additional strain on our already-aging systems.?

What’s Ahead

New federal regulations to eliminate PFAS, lead service lines and other chemicals from our drinking water mean that even more investment is necessary to ensure access to clean, safe and high quality drinking water.?

We’re approaching a critical juncture in the management of water in America. Meeting modern water demands, accounting for climate change and serving as responsible stewards of the environment will require large-scale collaboration involving public utilities, regulators, state and federal agencies, advocacy groups and regulated, private water companies like Pennsylvania American Water.?

Pennsylvania American Water plans to invest approximately $450-$600 million annually to upgrade our drinking water and wastewater systems. These investments are necessary to improve treatment facilities, storage tanks, wells and pumping stations to ensure that your water and wastewater service meets all regulatory standards. In addition, we proactively replace aging pipes, valves, service lines and other parts of our more than 11,000-mile network of water and sewer main to enhance water quality, service reliability and fire protection for the communities we serve.

As the largest water and wastewater provider in Pennsylvania, we take pride in the fact that for over 100 years we’ve been making sure that when Pennsylvanians we serve turn on the tap, their water comes out safe, or when they flush the toilet, they know that their community’s wastewater is being managed and treated in a way that protects Pennsylvania’s treasured rivers and streams.

The status quo won’t meet the needs of our communities. There will be a shared cost for the infrastructure upgrades that will keep water clean, safe and reliable. It is important that all parties involved in water services be clear-eyed and transparent about what it will take to get the job done.