Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
report, “California's Next Million Acre-Feet: Saving Water, Energy,
and Money,” that identifi es water savings totaling more than
1 million acre-feet of water a year. That's enough water, the report
says, to satisfy the annual water needs of the city of San Francisco
12 times over! 4
Historically, the price of water has been very low, and because
of that, people turn on the faucet without a second thought,
says Gaines, a water resources expert who has focused on the
Colorado and Rio Grande river basins. That's about to change, he
says, and given current and future water supplies, climate change,
and other factors, “we really do need to think about water.”
The Infrastructure Cost Dilemma
With such inexpensive water, public utilities often can't afford to
repair crumbling infrastructure, either. Inevitably, though, they will
have to.
There are big unknowns with the infrastructure. “I don't believe
the industry has fully grasped the issues and costs yet,” says analyst
Brandt. No one really knows how long the existing infrastructure
will last or what the true cost to replace it will be. Today there often
are streets, buildings, and other improvements above the under-
ground infrastructure, so it will be much more expensive to replace
than it was to originally install.”
That infrastructure crisis already is being felt across the coun-
try. It's especially straining on small rural communities, like
Humeston, Iowa, that have declining populations and increased—
meaning costly—rules and regulations. “We're talking about
the unseen infrastructure that carries drinking water supplies,”
says Huff. “Most people in a town think of their water system
as the water tower they see. But most of the infrastructure is
underground.
“As long as water comes out of the tap, things are okay,” he
adds. “But there's a ticking time bomb underground. In many
places, water pipes have been in the ground for fi fty to eighty years
and longer. At some point that infrastructure will need massive
replacement, which will hit not only the large communities in the
pocketbook, but the small ones as well.”
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