Trends in Local Government Expenditures on Public Water and Wastewater Services and Infrastructure: Past, Present and Future.

摘要

The purpose of this report is to examine trends in local government spending on public water and wastewater services and infrastructure to determine the level of resources devoted to these functions; and to project what the likely spending requirements will be over the next 20 years (2009 to 2028). The report also reviews how various federal government agencies provide fi nancial assistance for public water and wastewater systems, and suggests some broad goals for renewing the intergovernmental commitment to sustainable water and wastewater services and infrastructure. Like many other forms of public infrastructure in America, water and wastewater suffer from the lack of a coordinated and integrated National Strategy. Rather than providing leadership, Congress and the federal government have essentially abandoned providing meaningful fi nancial assistance to local government, but have, instead, authorized and implemented a costly and increasing wave of mandates. The mandates lack prioritization based on comparative risk; and are not coordinated to match compliance phase-in with the ability of local government to fi nance improvements. Instead, the wave of mandates is forcing local government onto a spending treadmill where ever-growing annual investments may not be suffi cient to guarantee safe, affordable and adequate supplies and services or comply with law in the 21st century. Current federal policy fails to target fi nancial assistance to the very metrourban areas that the national economy depends on for employment and wealth creation.