Here’s the link to the survey. Here’s a interview with Colin Sabol, vice president of marketing and business development in ITT’s Fluid and Motion Control division from Smart Planet (Melanie D.G. Kaplan). From the article:
Not surprisingly, the survey showed that many of us are concerned about our water system. But Not surprisingly, the survey showed that many of us are concerned about our water system. But Colin Sabol, vice president of marketing and business development in ITT’s Fluid and Motion Control division, says since we can’t see the underground pipes, they don’t get as much attention as, say, potholes. According to the report, every day there are 650 water main breaks. And according to the American Society of Civil Engineers, leaking pipes lose an estimated seven billion gallons of clean drinking water a day., says since we can’t see the underground pipes, they don’t get as much attention as, say, potholes. According to the report, every day there are 650 water main breaks. And according to the American Society of Civil Engineers, leaking pipes lose an estimated seven billion gallons of clean drinking water a day…
[Sabol:] Every day we waste water and energy, and every day it gets a little worse. It’s been getting worse for decades, and it’s reached a point where we believe it’s time to do something about it. If we ignore it, it won’t become a huge problem overnight, but it’s time to start paying more attention. The issue’s not going to go away by itself. The EPA did a study in 2002 where they rated the quality of our water infrastructure, and the rating was D-minus. They said it would take half a trillion dollars to fix all the water infrastructure at once. The Congressional Budget Office said if you spent $19 billion a year more you would catch up with these problems. So we are under-investing annually that much. The federal government today only spends a couple billion a year. The vast majority comes from local tariffs and local and municipal governments.
More infrastructure coverage here.