Drinking Water

When water infrastructure is underfunded, a simple activity like drinking a glass of tap water could be unsafe.  There are over 55,000 community drinking water systems.  Surprisingly, there are several areas of the nation that are still utilizing water infrastructure systems that pre-date the Civil War.    It is estimated that drinking water utilities will need to invest $334.8 billion over the next 20 years, above the level of current spending, to continue to provide safe and sufficient water to the American public (Environmental Protection Agency, 2009).   That is a serious level of funding needed but if we are to maintain a first-class society, where people can safely drink from our water systems, we must make these investments.