The United States is failing, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) 2021 Infrastructure Report Card. The nation’s 2.2 million miles of underground pipes delivering clean drinking water is aging and underfunded. There is a water main break every two minutes and an estimated 6 billion gallons of treated water lost each day in the U.S. enough to fill over 9,000 swimming pools. That’s enough to score a low C- on the Infrastructure Report Card. Wastewater systems scored even worse with a D+.
“Aging structures and systems is the largest issue with our water infrastructure today,” says Jessie Hinther, central regional manager, U.S. Industrial, at Franklin Electric. “Certainly materials of construction can also play a role in the safety of the water delivered as well, which is why we should continue to push to eliminate any hazardous materials from our infrastructure.”