HOUSTON – The people of Houston now have clean drinking water, after having to boil it for a day. Civil engineers say this challenge has highlighted a big problem: America’s failing piping systems.
We have seen people in cities across the country without clean drinking water for weeks or months at a time. Some civil engineers say that most of America’s piping systems need repair or replacement.
Jackson, Mississippi; Baltimore, Maryland; Odessa, Texas; and now Houston, are just a handful of cities in the US where plumbing problems have left people without drinking water.
A public health crisis in and around the city of Jackson, Mississippi began in late August 2022 after the Pearl River flooded due to a water main system failure.
(Joy Addison/Fox News)
Greg DiLoreto is a past president of the American Society of Civil Engineers. He says that people who have been without clean drinking water are looking for solutions to prevent this in the future.
AMERICA’S WATER INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS A MAJOR OVERHAUL
“It’s been, for the last few days, on the minds of people in Houston. It was on the minds of people in Flint and Jackson and anywhere else that has experienced a main burst,” DiLoreto said. .
A broken water main can cost cities dearly, as businesses, schools and industries often shut down.
In last year’s America’s Report Card on Infrastructure, the American Society of Civil Engineers awarded the United States a “C-” for drinking water and a “D+” for wastewater systems. DiLoreto says that was due to poor maintenance.
“They’re low, frankly, because of our lack of investment in the system and because of the condition of the systems,” DiLoreto said.
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI OFFICIALS SAY WATER PROBLEM NOT NEW
Civil engineers say that most water piping systems in the US need replacement or repair.
(Joy Addison/Fox News)
According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, deteriorating and poorly maintained underground drinking water pipes cause about 250,000 to 300,000 main breaks a year.
“It actually translates to a break every two minutes,” DiLoreto said.
$200 MILLION WILL BE SPENT ON 408 PROJECTS TO HELP PROVIDE CLEAN DRINKING WATER TO KENTUCKY COMMUNITIES
He says ASCE asks cities to stay on top of pipeline maintenance, rather than wait to make repairs after pipeline disasters, by using asset management tools to track the conditions of the piping system.
“Asset management programs are computer programs that allow them to predict when water main breaks will occur, so they can start making repairs before waiting for replacement,” DiLoreto said.
Water aqueducts collect water that flows through piping systems.
(FNC)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The American Rescue Plan Act allows states to use funds for water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure projects. According to the National Association of Counties, about 200 counties with aging water systems have announced that they will use these funds to repair pipes or replace the system.
