| Title: |
US EPA Sustainable Infrastructure for Water & Wastewater
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| Resource Type: |
web links
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| Producers or distributor |
US EPA
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| Author / Producer Type: |
Agency, regulator or other governmental or inter-governmental body
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EUGRIS Keyword(s): |
Water and sanitation-->Wastewater
Water and sanitation-->Water and sanitation
Water and sanitation-->Water and sanitation Overview
Water and sanitation-->Water supply
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| Short description: |
America's drinking and wastewater infrastructure is aging and the costs and environmental risks due to failure are sobering. Some 240,000 drinking
water mains break each year costing billions in lost water. Wastewater collection systems experience thousands of sanitary sewer overflows
annually, discharging billions of gallons of untreated wastewater into the environment. A recent EPA analysis of the potential funding gap in U.S.
infrastructure needs by the year 2020, developed in collaboration with key stakeholders from government, academia, and professional and trade
associations, projected that if operation, maintenance, and capital investment remain at current levels, the potential funding shortage for drinking water
and wastewater infrastructure could exceed $500 billion.
To address these concerns, EPA has initiated a new program in aging water infrastructure (AWI) research called 'Innovation and Research for Water
Infrastructure for the 21st Century,' and has invited stakeholders to participate in its implementation. The program examines three major areas:
condition assessment, rehabilitation, and advanced concepts in design, management, and operation of water systems. The program focuses on both
drinking water and wastewater conveyance systems. This story outlines the plans for addressing aging wastewater collection systems.
Wastewater Collection Systems
There are more than 600,000 miles of wastewater sewer lines in the United States. Their function is to transport wastewater from a variety of
community sources, including sewage, industrial wastewater, and storm water (in combined systems) to points of treatment and disposal. Collection
systems vary widely, with differing networks of pipes, pumping systems, and other equipment, some with components over 100 years old. Early
communities simply piped storm water and sanitary waste directly into the nearest body of water. Later, combined storm water and sanitary systems
separated wastes for transport to primitive treatment plants that removed solids via screening and settling--with characteristic problems of odor.
Today, these combined systems in many U.S. cities deal effectively with wastewater in dry weather, but the problem of combined system overflows
during heavy rainfalls remains a persistent problem.
Here are some additional facts:
- There are up to 75,000 sanitary sewer overflows per year in the U.S.
- These overflows discharge 3-10 billion gallons of untreated wastewater annually into local waterways.
- Up to 3,700 illnesses annually are due to exposure to contamination from sanitary sewer overflows into recreational waters.
To communicate information about the wastewater collection system aspects of the AWI research program, NRMRL water quality researchers have
developed three Science Briefs featuring (1) Condition Assessment, (2) Rehabilitation, and (3) Advanced Concepts. The briefs describe current issues,
state of the technology, and new research for each of the three areas. They also include an invitation to utilities, vendors, researchers, academics,
trade and professional water associations, and other government agencies to collaborate in the program.
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Submitted By:
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Professor Paul Bardos WhoDoesWhat?
Last update: 07/12/2007
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