Opinion: Infrastructure Bill Shouldn’t Ignore Our Aging Water Systems

Safe drinking water is the bedrock of public health. On that score, America is failing. From lead poisoning in Flint, Michigan, to toxic levels of arsenic found in Texas, over the past decade tens of millions of Americans have likely been exposed to dangerously unsafe water.

In his State of the Union address last month, President Donald Trump said it was “time to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure.” He is undeniably correct, and his call for $1.5 trillion in new investment is one that Congress should take up. Our collective failure to invest in infrastructure is a self-inflicted wound on the American economy, jeopardizing millions of jobs and threatening our health and safety.

But the need to invest in our water and wastewater systems is as urgent and vital as building the “gleaming new roads, bridges, highways, railways and waterways” President Trump spoke about. In its recent infrastructure proposal, the administration included potential funding for a variety of water projects, and backed an expansion of water infrastructure financing tools. However, its fiscal 2019 budget proposal, released at the same time, has faced sharp criticism for proposing cuts to the EPA’s budget.

Including water infrastructure in the funding debate is an […]

Full article: Opinion: Infrastructure Bill Shouldn’t Ignore Our Aging Water Systems

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