The following blog is re-posted from the Value of Water Coalition, a group to which American Water belongs, that is made up of both public and private members of the water industry, who have come together at a time when our water infrastructure is at risk. The group’s aim is to educate the public on the importance of clean, safe, and reliable water to and from every home and community, and to help ensure quality water service for future generations.
The American Water Works Association has released its annual State of the Water Industry report, a survey of water professionals that identifies the challenges and opportunities facing public and private water utilities. Here are the report’s key findings:
- The current health of the industry as rated by all respondents was 4.6 on a scale of 1 to 7, up slightly from the 2013 score of 4.5. By this measure, the water sector has been resilient in the face of many large-scale political, financial, environmental and technological changes over the last ten years.
- The top five water industry issues identified for 2014 are:
- State of water and sewer infrastructure
- Long-term water supply availability
- Financing for capital improvements
- Public understanding of the value of water resources
- Public understanding of the value of water systems and services
- Addressing water and sewer infrastructure needs, the most important water industry issue, could easily top $2 trillion over the next 25 years in the United States.
We at the Value of Water Coalition see these findings in action every day, and this is why we created this campaign: to educate the public on the importance of clean, safe and reliable water to and from every home and community, and to help ensure quality water service for future generations.
Want to read more? Read the full report here [PDF].