A Solution to Fix Our Nation's Broken Water System

Have a leaky faucet? Dripping shower? You may (or may not) call a plumber.

But what if those problems were magnified to a grand, national scale? That bill is going to get expensive.

Our country’s antiquated water system is like that found in many homes: one giant dripping, leaking mess. And, when I write antiquated, I’m not exaggerating. Some parts of water systems were built during the Civil War.

We all can so easily turn on the tap and flush the toilet, that it's no surprise a recent study found that 70 percent of us “take my access to clean water for granted.” However, water comes to our taps and toilets at a price—through a massive sewer and water infrastructure system that costs billions in dollars and energy to run. Today, that system is on life support: the American Society of Civil Engineers gives it a "D" grade.

This is not only embarrassing but wrong. Broken infrastructure is why we regularly have so many burst pipes and wasted water in the first place. In fact, breaks and leaks add up to 1.7 trillion gallons in lost water annually—enough for 68 million Americans. Not to mention these drips and breaks are polluting our water sources.

Despite this depressing news, there’s a lot we can do to change the situation. As Bob Herbert wrote in the New York Times earlier this week, “If this were a first-class society we would rebuild our water systems to the point where they would be the envy of the world, and that would bolster the economy in the bargain.”

In passing the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act, Congress put the burden for providing clean water and keeping our waterways healthy on local and state municipalities, with some funding help from the federal government. However, these local entities haven’t been able to keep up with the wear and tear from increased population strains, pollution, over-use and just plain age. The problems have been compounded by the slow flow of money from the federal government to local communities. Last year, there was a $29 billion shortage for main upgrades to our water and sewer systems.

The answer is not to ignore the problem or opt out individually by buying bottled water. Fortunately, 80 percent of Americans believe water infrastructure is "very important," so the motive for a solution is within our grasp.

Food and Water Watch is leading efforts to invest in our water infrastructure with their Renew America’s Drinking Water Act. They propose a penny per ounce tax to bottled water and soft drink manufacturers (who heavily rely on our municipal water systems) to close the annual multi-billion dollar funding gap.

Their proposal would also create 750,000 green jobs, help our economy and create a 21st century system that would make us all proud. Get involved today by signing Food and Water Watch’s petition to renew our water system.