To accomplish this, these utilities spend millions of dollars annually on maintaining and replacing aging infrastructure or building new infrastructure to keep the water flowing.
These may consist of groundwater wells, surface-water intakes, dams, reservoirs, aqueducts, storage tanks, treatment facilities and pipes. And to meet increasingly stringent regulatory standards, many water systems require improved technologies and upgraded infrastructure.
According to the American Society of Civil Engineers’ 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, California reported $44.5 billion in drinking water infrastructure needs and $29.9 billion in wastewater infrastructure needs during the next 20 years.
Infrastructure expenditures not only serve to provide safe and reliable water, they also generate jobs and contribute to the state and local economies through taxes and purchasing products and services.
Read more about the more than $400 million in infrastructure investments made by California Water Association members in 2014.
