Investing in the country’s water infrastructure is critical. Water infrastructure impacts all Americans, as it protects public health and the environment and drives the economy. In fact, closing the investment gap in water infrastructure would generate more than $220 billion in annual economic activity and generate 1.3 million jobs over 10 years. 

The President’s proposal includes:  

• New $50 billion program to promote investments in a wide variety of forms of rural infrastructure, including drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater,
• a new $20 billion financial assistance program administered by the US Dept. of Commerce for infrastructure related projects that will transform the delivery and performance of infrastructure $20 billion to expanding several existing federal infrastructure financing programs (includes WIFIA) 
• Opens the Clean Water SRF to allow for private entities to receive CW SRF loans, similar to how they can through the Drinking Water SRF
• Reduces the level of federal regulatory review for a project when a State or private entity provides the majority of project funding.
• Amends the Clean Water Act so that privately owned treatment works have identical regulatory requirements as publicly owned treatment works.

WEF would also like the infrastructure package to:

• provide meaningful additional assistance to states and local governments as they work to fund and manage infrastructure projects in their jurisdictions; 
• build resilient water infrastructure so communities can withstand the impacts of climate change, including severe storms, flooding, drought, and sea level rise;  
• enable increased innovation in the water sector, such as water reuse, energy generation, and nutrient recovery; and
• promote workforce development to deal with labor shortages and pending retirement boom through training, internship, apprenticeship, and career pathway programs.

"We are at a pivotal time, with aging and inadequate water infrastructure in desperate need of repair and expansion to meet the challenges and seize the opportunities for water in the 21st century," said Eileen O'Neill, Executive Director of WEF. "We look forward to working with the Administration and Congress on a legislative package that addresses our nation's pressing and long-term water infrastructure needs."

Meanwhile, House and Senate Members in both parties are developing their own plans.  As these plans are vetted and debated and hopefully a final, bipartisan plan is turned into law, it is critical to include federal investment in water infrastructure.  

Write your Members of Congress to urge them to include funding for clean water, drinking water, and stormwater infrastructure in any future infrastructure legislation!

Write your Members of Congress

Write your Members of Congress to urge them to include funding for clean water, drinking water, and stormwater infrastructure in any future infrastructure legislation!

Read Trump's Infrastructure Plan!