To say the floodgates have opened on the water crisis in Flint, Mich., would be an understatement, with seemingly worse developments unfolding daily as the situation remains unfixed and the water distribution system remains contaminated with unsafe levels of lead.
Susan Hedman, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency?s (EPA) regional administrator for Flint, Mich., resigned last week as city and state officials continue to investigate who is at fault for the city?s contaminated water distribution system.
Earlier this month, Fieldman, Rolapp & Associates (FRA), an independent municipal advisory firm that provides advice and services to public agencies, announced that Adam Bauer has been promoted to chief executive officer.
The Cleveland Water Alliance and NASA Glenn Research Center have announced a new initiative for economic development that would help NASA Glenn form partnerships with companies and organizations that could help turn water-related technologies into commercial products.
?It may be some time before all the facts surrounding Flint are understood. However, there are a few lessons that seem apparent, says AWWA CEO David LaFrance in a recent statement addressing the Flint crisis.?
In spite of the limited shelf life of New Year?s resolutions, using the beginning of the calendar year to at least ?take stock? is simply too ingrained a ritual for most to pass up. It is therefore inevitable that a discussion of infrastructure finance themes in January would include some form of reflection on the past year. Perhaps one of the better barometers to examine as part of this exercise would be the primary source of a utility?s CIP funding ? the vast and dynamic municipal debt market.
As has been the case for years, water and wastewater utilities throughout the United States start the New Year with capital improvement needs that exceed available financing resources, and they do so in an ever changing legal, regulatory and financial environment.
Among the proposals highlighted by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo last week was $250 million for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects around the state. Also last week, Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton unveiled a plan to spend $220 million to modernize the state?s aging water system.
On Saturday, the American Water Works Association (AWWA) Board of Directors elected Brenda Lennox of Beaverton, Ore., as the association?s next president-elect. Four new vice presidents and one new director-at-large were also selected.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a survey showing that $271 billion is needed to maintain and improve the nation?s wastewater infrastructure.
