A Call to Congress: Recommit to America’s Water Infrastructure

DIPRA President David Cole wrote a column for a special infrastructure section of The Washington Times calling on Congress to support the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) and the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF), which are the main federal funding programs for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects. David suggests that Congress should appropriate $3.25 billion each for the two SRF programs for FY27, and provide a robust, needs-based reauthorization of both programs.

David wrote:

“Water infrastructure investment isn’t just about public health; it promotes economic resilience. Reliable water systems are foundational to manufacturing, energy production, healthcare, and everyday commerce. Investments in water infrastructure generate significant economic returns through job creation, increased productivity, and reduced emergency repairs.

 

“… One-time investments, while helpful, cannot replace predictable, sustained investment. Utilities and states need long-term certainty to plan and execute large-scale projects efficiently.”

According to the Value of Water Campaign, the combined national water infrastructure needs to total $3.4 trillion over the next 20 years to repair and modernize aging systems. But the federal cost-share for water infrastructure has declined from more than half in the 1970s to about 7% today.

David continued:

“For the past several fiscal years, the DWSRF has received about $1.1 billion annually, while the CWSRF has received about $1.6 billion annually. Congress provided supplemental funding for both programs totaling more than $50 billion over five fiscal years in 2021. For FY26, Congress provided more than $7 billion for drinking water and more than $4 billion for clean water, bolstered by this supplemental funding.”

David also encouraged Congress to continue supporting local engineers and water professionals by continuing to adopt “material-neutral infrastructure bills” that avoid wading into how local communities design their water systems.  David continued: “Our water systems are best served when Congress provides sustained, reliable investment and trusts the professionals who know their communities best to use that investment wisely.”

Read the full column here