Tennessee takes steps to utilize federal water-system funds

New Mexico’s program is unapologetic about receiving the highest percentage of “set-asides” among the states- 30 percent of its overall funding.

And Public Works Commissioner Jeff Wennberg says that’s in a city of about 16,500 with one of the lowest median income levels in the state. “Pretty much everything is going to go to hell in the next 25 years; that’s just the math”, he said.

At stake is the continued availability of clean, cheap and reliable drinking water – a public health achievement that has fueled the nation’s growth for generations.

In Rutland alone, it’s estimated it would cost $1 million a year for 100 years to ensure all the drinking water infrastructure is within its designed life expectancy. Without that investment, industry groups warn of a future with more infrastructure failures that will disrupt service, transportation and commerce.

“When you have that age of infrastructure, it takes a lot to maintain it”, said Mathieu, adding that every water system that has participated in the loan program has been looking forward to the possibility of getting the grant money since the legislation passed.

“We want people to really understand what it takes to get that water to come out of their tap any time they want it and to have some buy-in and responsibility toward contributing toward helping in that effort”, Stringer said.

The largest federal aid program for improving the nation’s drinking water systems has struggled to spend money in a timely fashion despite demand for assistance that far exceeds the amount available.

Despite the need, the fund has more than $1 billion sitting unspent in government accounts, according to a review of data by The Associated Press.

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.

Despite a persistent drought and a growing need to replace old pipelines and storage tanks, more than $20 million in federally appropriated funds for drinking water infrastructure remains unspent in New Mexico.