Water Leaders Stress Need to Rehabilitate, Replace Water Infrastructure in Meetings With Congress

Utilities across North America employ 'Only Tap Water Delivers' campaign to

remind elected leaders, public of the value of water

    WASHINGTON, April 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- More than 100 water
 utility leaders from across the United States arrived on Capitol Hill today
 to stress the essential need to repair and replace the nation's aging water
 infrastructure.
     Water professionals began two days of meetings with more than 300
 Congressional representatives to raise awareness on critical water issues
 at the American Water Works Association's (AWWA) annual Water Matters!
 Fly-In. AWWA estimates the cost to repair and replace our nation's drinking
 water infrastructure over the next three decades will exceed $250 billion.
     Specifically, water industry professionals will urge Congress to pass
 legislation that:
     -- Expands and modernizes the Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Fund
        (DWSRF) program.
     -- Increases the authorization of appropriations for the DWSRF program to
        a cumulative $14 billion through FY2011.
     -- Makes rehabilitation and replacement of worn-out infrastructure and
        security improvements specifically eligible for DWSRF loans.
     -- Contains a number of improvements to the DWSRF program that AWWA has
        been seeking, such as encouraging the use of asset management and
        providing for a longer repayment period for loans.
     "Water professionals believe that the public is best served by
 utilities that are self-sustaining through their rates and that federal
 assistance should be a helping hand for special cases rather than a routine
 part of utility finance," said AWWA Executive Director Jack Hoffbuhr. "It's
 critical that we bring the conversation about infrastructure reinvestment
 above ground in the halls of Congress and in our own communities."
     To help communicate the value of tap water service and the need to
 reinvest in water infrastructure, local utilities across the country are
 beginning to employ AWWA's "Only Tap Water Delivers" campaign. The campaign
 has been adopted throughout the United States and Canada, with print ads
 and public service announcements reminding citizens that only tap water
 delivers public health protection, fire protection, support for the economy
 and the overall quality of life we enjoy.
     AWWA is the authoritative resource for knowledge, information, and
 advocacy to improve the quality and supply of water in North America and
 beyond. AWWA is the largest organization of water professionals in the
 world. AWWA advances public health, safety and welfare by uniting the
 efforts of the full spectrum of the entire water community. Through our
 collective strength we become better stewards of water for the greatest
 good of the people and the environment.
 
 

SOURCE American Water Works Association