Ohio has received $551 million since the mid-1990s through the largest federal aid program for improving drinking water systems, the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. But that’s not almost enough to cover the costs of repairing and building the new infrastructure that’s needed, forcing cities to raise water rates in many cases.
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Virginia officials say a lag in spending is inevitable because projects must meet stringent state and federal requirements before they can receive loans and grants from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.
Rhode Island is the farthest off track of all the states from meeting the Environmental Protection Agency’s goal of spending the money in a key drinking water program by next year’s deadline, according to federal data reviewed by The Associated Press.
But state officials insist they’ll have the backlog used up by September 2016, largely because of a $26.6 million loan for a new building for Providence Water.
Utah’s unspent money only goes back to projects authorized in 2014, he said. But Ohio has less than $5 million, about 1 percent of its share, sitting idle.
Utah is one of 34 states with more than $10 million in unused grant funds, a review by The Associated Press shows.
The state has $3.7 billion in projects that need funding over the next two decades, the EPA estimated in a 2011 report.
Gov. Chris Christie in August approved up to $1.94 billion in state financing for drinking and wastewater infrastructure projects financed through the NJEIT and DEP.
There are about 1,400 public water systems in Vermont, from the largest communities down to systems that serve as few as 25 people, and many of those face the same challenges being seen around the country, said Eric Blatt of the water supply division of the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources.
“It just seems like it is going to get worse before it gets better”, said Karan Ireland, a member of the Charleston City Council who’s spearheading the effort by Advocates for a Safe Water System. In recent years, lawmakers have approved $900 million annually for the program, but they are considering a deep cut for next year.
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All of this action on water infrastructure is spurred by an intense need: Florida has long relied on groundwater to fill its cup, but as the state has grown to the nation’s third-most populous, that source is dwindling. Without that investment, industry groups warn of a future with more infrastructure failures that will disrupt service, transportation and commerce.
