On July 3, 2024, the Washington Aqueduct issued a Boil Water Advisory for parts of Northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. For almost 10 hours, the area’s tap water was untrustworthy. Then, the advisory was lifted, and everything returned to normal. Safe drinking water has become so commonplace in the U.S. that consumers do not usually give it much thought. However, incidents like the Boil Water Advisory in the heart of the nation’s capital should prompt us to further consider the infrastructure for sourcing and purifying our drinking water – and the challenges this infrastructure faces.
As of 2021, the American Society of Civil Engineers reported that the U.S. consumed about 39 billion gallons of water daily. About 61 percent of the U.S. public water supply comes from surface water, and the remaining 39 percent from groundwater. This water is purified at municipal water treatment plants to standards set by the Safe Drinking Water Act before making its way to consumers through around two million miles of water pipelines. The process is usually completed by public entities, although about 10 percent of the U.S. population receives service from privately owned water utilities. Testifying to the efficacy of this system, 97.5 percent of the U.S. population has access to safe drinking water in both urban and rural areas, and the remainder can access at least basic drinking water service.
Of course, disruptions to the system demonstrate that U.S. drinking water infrastructure is not flawless. A survey conducted by the American Water Works Association determined that the most prominent drinking water concern among U.S. residents was lead contamination. This issue has risen to national prominence, particularly in Flint, Michigan. When the city switched its water supply to the Flint River, the water corroded its pipelines and allowed unhealthy levels of lead to leach into the city’s water supply.
Even when toxicity is not a concern, water pipelines remain a major area for improvement. Water mains in the U.S. burst every two minutes, costing six billion gallons of treated water daily. Such losses are especially problematic in areas where water is already locally scarce. For example, in the western U.S., the harsh and arid climate is beginning to imperil water supplies from the Colorado River. In 2021, federal officials announced a water shortage on the river for the first time due to decreased snowmelt from the Rocky Mountains.
The effects of climate change on U.S. drinking water are not limited to reduced supply. Warmer water temperatures are expected to increase the frequency of algal blooms. Water contaminated by algal blooms can harbor toxins and cause illnesses if consumed. Blooms also increase turbidity, which can interfere with the water treatment process. The recent D.C. Boil Water Advisory in particular was caused by algal blooms in the Potomac River.
Maintaining safe and reliable drinking water supplies for all regions of the U.S. requires infrastructure that can face these challenges. Fortunately, many water utilities have begun moving in the right direction. An increasing number have implemented asset management programs and are adopting technologies that allow for real-time monitoring of water supplies. Combined with federal funding through programs such as the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, these measures could have a tangible effect on water pipeline safety and reliability if further expanded.
Modernizing drinking water infrastructure will also require increasing water storage capacity. However, the current process for doing so is lengthy. California, which has faced several multi-year droughts, is an illustrative case. Seven water projects have been approved to receive $2.7 billion worth of bond funding, but most of these projects remain years from completion. Plans to improve U.S. drinking water infrastructure could benefit from expediting this process, as this capacity could provide more options for utilities in the event of algal blooms, droughts, or other events compromising water supplies.
Preparing our water infrastructure for these challenges will be a daunting task. The fact that disruptions to drinking water service are so noticeable, however, highlights how much the U.S. has accomplished in providing access to this essential commodity. With the right policies in place, these accomplishments can be maintained or even expanded. However, drinking water and the infrastructure required to provide it should never be taken for granted. It is up to us to ensure that the plentiful access the U.S. currently enjoys to this resource can continue.
Written by Isaac Oh, Public Policy Intern
The Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure (Aii) is an independent, national research and educational organization. An innovative think tank, Aii explores the intersection of economics, law, and public policy in the areas of climate, damage prevention, energy, infrastructure, innovation, technology, and transportation.