More than 88 percent of Americans believe there’s a need to act on infrastructure, but only 17 percent of utilities feel confident they can cover the cost of existing services through rates and fees. Of the necessary investments, aging pipes and water mains rank among the most serious drinking water needs. Upgraded wastewater treatment and conveyance infrastructure are also needed, but many cities already hold too much debt to take on more. Though the federal government provides some support for water infrastructure, the burden falls primarily on state and local governments.

A policy brief from the Brookings Institute recommends cities to drive water investments most efficiently, notably by better managing systems that involve multiple agencies, improving accounting practices, and engaging in more strategic financial planning. It is also advised for cities to take a ‘one water’ approach, viewing drinking water, wastewater and stormwater needs as part of a continuum. In addition, increased communication, and data tools, including better measures for residential demand and more efficient customer service programs, and the exploration of new funding mechanisms such as public-private partnerships could be highly useful.

As an example, Los Angeles adopted a One Water LA 2040 Plan to coordinate water management across all city departments. The LA Plan takes a holistic and collaborative approach to consider all of the City’s water resources from surface water, groundwater, potable water, wastewater, recycled water, dry-weather runoff, and stormwater as “One Water.” Also, the Plan identifies multi-departmental and multi-agency integration opportunities to manage water in a more efficient, cost effective, and sustainable manner.

The Plan will help guide future strategic decisions when prioritizing and implementing integrated water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure projects, programs, and policies within the City. Such a water management plan in cities could contribute to speed up environmental upgrades, while funding more than $10 billion in capital improvements in the process.

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