
Water supply and wastewater treatment spending totaled $113 Billion in 2017. Of this spending, 28% ($31 billion) went to capital, while 72% ($82 billion) went to operations and maintenance. Only 4% of this spending ($4.5 billion) was federal. The other 96% ($109 Billion) was State and Local.
How much does the US spend on water and wastewater infrastructure?
Oct 23, 2018 · Water supply and wastewater treatment spending totaled $113 Billion in 2017. Of this spending, 28% ($31 billion) went to capital, while 72% ($82 billion) went to operations and maintenance. Only 4% of this spending ($4.5 billion) was federal. The other 96% ($109 Billion) …
How much did the US spend on water in 2020?
Feb 23, 2022 · Capital expenditure on water, sewage and other system utilities in the United States totaled 5.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2020. This was an increase of roughly one billion U.S. dollars from the ...
How much electricity do cities use for water treatment?
Mar 18, 2021 · The average family spends more than $1,000 per year in water costs, but can save more than $380 annually from retrofitting with WaterSense labeled fixtures and ENERGY STAR certified appliances. WaterSense & Water Savings. WaterSense labels products that are 20 …
How does EPA develop costs for water treatment technology based actions?
Feb 18, 2016 · The statistic shows the value of spending on water and wastewater infrastructure in the United States between 2014 and 2018. It was forecasted that the U.S. would spend …

How much does the US spend on water infrastructure?
How much does Canada spend on water treatment?
Capital expenditures to upgrade existing infrastructure and commission new components for water treatment plants totalled $969 million in 2019, down 7% from a year earlier, when expenditures totalled just over $1 billion.Aug 17, 2021
What happens to water mains in the United States 240000 times a year?
Who controls the water in the United States?
How much would it cost to give First Nations clean water?
How many First Nations do not have clean water?
How old is America's water infrastructure?
How did they make wooden water pipes?
- Stave wood pipes had the advantage of being pieced together somewhat like tongue and groove joints of staggered lengths, building a continuous pipe and lessening the number of joints. ...
- Our wooden pipe sections are Stave Wood pipes, wrapped with heavy wire and were originally coated with tar.
How many miles of water pipelines are there in the US?
How many Americans have no clean water?
Where is the purest water on earth?
Who has the best water in the USA?
How much water does the average American use?
Each American uses an average of 82 gallons of water a day at home (USGS, Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 2015).
How much water does a household waste?
The average family can waste 180 gallons per week, or 9,400 gallons of water annually, from household leaks. That's equivalent to the amount of water needed to wash more than 300 loads of laundry.
How much water does WaterSense save?
The average family can save 13,000 gallons of water and $130 in water costs per year by replacing all old, inefficient toilets in their home with WaterSense labeled models.
How long does it take for a water sense toilet to pay for itself?
Giving a home's main bathroom a high-efficiency makeover by installing a WaterSense labeled toilet, showerhead, and faucet aerator can pay for itself in as little as 1 year.
How much does a family save on water?
The average family spends more than $1,000 per year in water costs, but can save more than $380 annually from retrofitting with WaterSense labeled fixtures and ENERGY STAR certified appliances.
How much water is lost in the outdoors?
That's equivalent to the amount of water needed for the average family to take 1 year's worth of showers. As much as 50 percent of the water we use outdoors is lost due to wind, evaporation, and runoff caused by inefficient irrigation methods and systems.
How much water does a dishwasher save?
Running the dishwasher only when it's full can eliminate one load of dishes per week and save the average family nearly 320 gallons of water annually. Turning off the tap while brushing your teeth can save 8 gallons of water per day and, while shaving, can save 10 gallons of water per shave.
What is the cost analysis for drinking water?
EPA has defined the cost of a regulatory action to include: Estimates of the expenditures needed to comply with a new regulation (for example, of installing contaminant removal technologies) Any negative health impacts associated with reducing the effectiveness of the treatment ...
What is baseline and unit cost data?
The baseline and unit cost data are used to determine what types of treatment technology would be required for different areas of the U.S. under potential regulatory scenarios for representative public water systems. These sample public water systems are representative of systems with differing baseline characteristics such as:
What is EPA data?
EPA refers to this information as occurrence data . It is also necessary to account for any actions that drinking water systems are already doing that may mitigate the negative effects of the contaminant. EPA uses a number of data sources when defining baseline conditions including the:
How does the EPA use representative sample data?
EPA uses the representative sample systems cost data to estimate total national cost values. EPA does this by assigning those representative costs to other systems across the country having similar characteristics.
When did the federal government stop providing subsidized water and wastewater?
Since the mid-1980s, the federal government reduced subsidized funding, and switched from providing mostly grants to providing mostly subsidized loans. While the federal funding programs have been maintained at relatively steady levels in nominal dollars, the real purchase power of these programs have diminished over time.
When did state capital spending decrease?
Since the mid 1980s, though, as the federal funding programs decreased, state and local governments increased their capital spending significantly for a few years and then on average at 1%-3%/year until 2009. Between 2009 and 2014, state and local governments decreased capital spending by 22%; at the same time, ...
What was the most significant decline in real expenditures since 1956?
Total public spending peaked in 2010, and has decreased 8% between 2010 and 2014. This is the most significant four-year decline in real expenditures since 1956. The main reason for this late decline has been a significant decrease in capital expenditures, particularly among state and local governments.
Who pays for O&M?
Nearly all of the O&M expenditures are borne by state and local governments, which also account for 91% of all capital expenditures in 2014. As state and local governments’ budgets are spread thinner by paying for rising operations and maintenance, their ability to also pay for capital expenses decreases.
What is the inverse relationship between federal and state capital spending?
Focusing only on capital expenditures reveals the inverse relationship between federal capital spending and state and local government capital spending. As the federal programs increased capital funding for utilities, state and local governments spent less of their own money on capital projects. For four years, the federal government outspent all ...
What is the goal of water treatment?
Over the last century, the primary goals of water treatment have remained the same—to produce water that is biologically and chemically safe, appealing to consumers, and non-corrosive and non-scaling. If water systems are mismanaged, public health emergencies can occur, such as in Flint, MI in 2014.
Which industry accounts for the largest loss of water?
Agriculture accounts for the largest loss of water (80-90% of total U.S. consumptive water use). 18 Of the 118 Bgal/d freshwater withdrawn for irrigation, over half is lost to consumptive use. Of the 133 Bgal/d of withdrawals for thermoelectric power in the U.S., 3% is consumed (4.31 Bgal/d). 4
What are the parameters used by the EPA to monitor the quality of drinking water?
EPA uses to monitor the quality of drinking water include: microorganisms, disinfectants, radionuclides, organic and inorganic compounds. 12
What percentage of water is used for power generation?
Though 41% of daily water use is for power generation, only 3% of these withdrawals are consumptive. 1 Irrigation includes water applied to agricultural crops along with the water used for landscaping, golf courses, parks, etc. 1.
What percentage of freshwater comes from saltwater?
Less than 4% of U.S. freshwater comes from brackish or saltwater, though this segment is growing. Desalination technology, such as reverse osmosis membrane filtering, unlocks large resources, but more research is needed to lower costs, energy use, and environmental impacts. 4.
What would help improve water quality and avoid leaks?
Periodic rehabilitation, repair, and replacement of water distribution infrastructure would help improve water quality and avoid leaks. 13
What are the uses of water?
All life on Earth depends on water. Human uses include drinking, bathing, crop irrigation, electricity generation, and industrial activity. For some of these uses, the available water requires treatment prior to use. Over the last century, the primary goals of water treatment have remained the same—to produce water that is biologically ...
Is fluoride a cost effective method?
Consistent with prior analyses, this study supports the finding that community water fluoridation remains one of the most cost-effective methods of delivering fluoride to all community members regardless of age, educational attainment, or income level.
Does fluoridation save money?
Studies continue to show that widespread community water fluoridation prevents cavities and saves money, both for families and the health care system.
How many people are served by a community water system?
It serves at least 25 people at their primary residences or at least 15 residences that are primary residences (for example, municipalities, mobile home park, sub-divisions).
What is NTNCWS water?
Non-transient non-community water systems (NTNCWS) regularly supply water to at least 25 of the same people at least six month per year, but not year-round (for example, schools, factories, office buildings, and hospitals which have their own water systems). The EPA is responsible for the nation’s drinking water regulation.
What is the safest water system in the world?
Public Water Systems. The United States is fortunate to have one of the safest public drinking water supplies in the world. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), public drinking water systems consist of community and non-community systems. A community water system (CWS) supplies water to the same population ...
What is non-community water?
Non-community water systems are composed of transient and non-transient water systems. Transient non-community water systems (TNCWS) provide water to 25 or more people for at least 60 days/year, but not to the same people and not on a regular basis (for example, gas stations, campgrounds).
What is biological treatment of drinking water?
Biological treatment of drinking water uses indigenous bacteria to remove contaminants. It is useful for removal of contaminants including nitrate and perchlorate.
What is treatment technology?
Treatment technologies remove or destroy pollutants (such as arsenic, disinfection byproducts, and waterborne pathogens).

Defining The Baseline
- To estimate the costs associated with any regulatory policy it is necessary to begin by assessing the geographical distribution and concentration levels of the contaminant(s) of concern. EPA refers to this information as occurrence data. It is also necessary to account for any actions that drinking water systems are already doing that may mitigate ...
Estimation of Unit Costs
- Estimation of unit costs includes: 1. Evaluating the expected cost of the installation of equipment 2. Operation and maintenance of treatment technologies 3. Compliance monitoring 4. Administrative requirements (for example, reporting, record keeping) 5. The financial cost of the necessary capital EPA develops a number of potential unit costs for policy actions. For treatmen…
Determining Regulatory Costing Scenarios
- The baseline and unit cost data are used to determine what types of treatment technology would be required for different areas of the U.S. under potential regulatory scenarios for representative public water systems. These sample public water systems are representative of systems with differing baseline characteristics such as: 1. Population served 2. Average and peak flow rates 3…
Estimating National Costs
- EPA uses the representative sample systems cost data to estimate total national cost values. EPA does this by assigning those representative costs to other systems across the country having similar characteristics. In order to determine which systems are statistically similar for this costing exercise, EPA often uses system data from the Safe Drinking Water Information System/…