Our natural resources are among our most precious treasures, and we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to direct federal and state resources to ensure their protection.
The federal government has finally caught up to what we in Oregon have known for years: infrastructure projects like roads and bridges can be designed and built in a way that protects the environment. Perhaps more important, though, is the unseen infrastructure of drinking and wastewater pipes that run for hundreds of miles underground. It’s often a case of “out of sight, out of mind” until a water main breaks, but the tragic headlines we’ve seen from Flint, MI, and now Jackson, MS, are a stark reminder that we must pay attention to all of our infrastructure.
Everyone should have confidence that when they turn on their faucet, clean, safe drinking water will come out. Only about 8 percent of U.S. households use a commercial water filter like a Brita pitcher, and many people will buy bottled water for regular use. Our goal should be that filters are a personal choice, not a necessity because people don’t trust their drinking water.
We’re receiving a windfall of federal funds through COVID relief programs and the bipartisan infrastructure bill that passed earlier this year. In March, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that we would receive $70 million each for drinking water and wastewater projects through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund program and the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. That is in addition to another $92 million available to use from the infrastructure bill.
That’s an almost unimaginable amount of money, and we have an obligation to use it smartly so that our water infrastructure remains safe and resilient for generations. The
2021 Water Infrastructure Survey from the League of Oregon Cities (LOC) identified $9.7 billion in water infrastructure needs. Yes, “billions” of dollars. Over the next 20 years, Portland State University’s Center for Public Service, which partnered with the LOC on the report estimated that, over the next 20 years, water infrastructure costs will reach $23 billion. Yes, again, “billion.”
That’s a staggering amount of money, and the federal funds will be a tremendous help in meeting that need. We’re going to need all the help we can get. “Costs already far exceed the ability of Oregonians to pay for necessary infrastructure, and communities with smaller populations and those serving lower-income populations are disproportionately impacted when costs and regulations increase. At this point, many communities simply can’t afford necessary infrastructure,” the LOC report says.
But money is only part of the solution. We must make sure that projects are designed properly and with public health in mind. A recent investigation from The Guardian newspaper dug up documents showing that, starting in the early 1930s, the lead pipe industry plotted to use its pervasive influence to “revive” their failing sales. Decades later, the legacy of their plotting is crumbling water mains that are poisoning drinking water systems throughout the country. What’s frightening is that another pipe industry has been following that same model. The Guardian’s investigation revealed that the lead pipe industry looked for ways to undermine public health reports about their product. A recent article in Scientific American shows that the plastic pipes industry is doing the same thing, describing advocates as being “dismissive” of research findings showing clear dangers such as the risk of PVC pipes melting in the blazing heat of forest fires and contaminating drinking water systems. And sadly, these aren’t issues that are hypothetical or are occurring in some other place around the globe. Oregon, California and other western states have found their water contaminated with toxic substances like benzene after wildfires left melted plastic pipe and components in their wake.
That said, there are certainly some communities where it might make sense to use plastic pipes, and there are others where different pipe materials would be better. What kind of pipes to use has to be left up to the local decision-makers who know their community best. As a State Legislator, my role is to direct funding to the communities that need it most and divvy up federal resources where they make the most sense. That’s the decision we should be making at the state level.
Municipal governments – city councils, county commissions – and water utility professionals are the ones who know not just where those resources should go but how best to use them. It’s the job of water professionals and those in public works departments in our communities to know things like soil and ground conditions, how different terrains will shift, the paths that buried pipes will run, and what kinds of natural events could pose a threat to infrastructure. We ignore their expertise at our peril. That is a big reason why the National Association of Counties recently adopted a “Resolution in Opposition of Material Preference Legislation” to support local control of water infrastructure decisions.
Policymakers, and those we represent, must have a long-term focus on building and improving water infrastructure not only so that our citizens have confidence in their drinking water today, but that their grandchildren and their grandchildren have that same confidence.
State Senator David Brock Smith represents Oregon’s 1st Senate District, which includes Curry and parts of Coos and Douglas counties. He serves on the Senate Natural Resources Committee and the Public Safety Subcommittee on the Joint Ways and Means Committee.
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