Impending Water Crisis in the US
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates the nation’s 73,000-plus water delivery systems will need upgrades over the next two decades totaling about $384 billion, according to a survey made public last month (see chart for state-by-state breakdown). On a per-person basis, Arkansas, Nevada and Iowa have the costliest needs, according the data. The expected tabs are lowest in Tennessee, South Carolina and Rhode Island.
the American Water Works Association estimates the need for upgrades at closer to $1 trillion, with the biggest price tags in the rapidly-growing West and South. The numbers don’t include wastewater treatment upgrades, which the group says will cost just as much.
The majority of water funding is local, mostly from the monthly rates users pay. But those rates, some utility officials say, have long stayed artificially low. With that in mind, regulators in at least 11 states now allow investor-backed water utilities — about 12 percent of those in the U.S. — to tack onto bills extra fees, called cost-trackers, to pay for upgrades.Before trackers came on board, utilities would replace an average of eight to 10 miles of pipeline each year, Powelson said. Since then, that’s increased more than ten-fold.
70 Million gallons of water are lost through leaky pipes from Lake Michigan every day. Roughly 8% of the water flowing into the system that is treated, pumped, cycled, but never billed
In Our Households
- Each American uses an average of 88 gallons of water a day at home.
- We can all use at least 20 percent less water by installing water-efficient fixtures and appliances.
- The average family spends more than $1,000 per year in water costs, but can save more than $380 annually from retrofitting with WaterSense labeled fixtures and ENERGY STAR certified appliances.
- Household leaks can waste approximately nearly 900 billion gallons of water annually nationwide. That’s equal to the annual household water use of nearly 11 million homes.