Water+Economics

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The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that there is a $540 billion difference between what the nation is currently spending on the water infrastructure and the actual investment requirements for maintaining and renewing the infrastructure over the next 20 years. In the U.S., on average, families pay less than 1 percent of their income for tap water. Experts representing water utilities explain that because communities have neglected water systems for decades, current water rates do not generate enough revenue to cover the costs of necessary maintenance, repair, and replacement. Communities throughout the country are, or soon will be, facing increased rates.
 * **Liquid Assets Movie Clip (Ask Joe for DVD)**
 * Chapter 5 - The Funding Gap (Approx. 2 min.)**

__ Saving U.S. Water and Sewer Systems Would Be Costly __

__[|**Seeing Source** of **Electricity** in **Water Pipes** - The **New York** Times] __ || Read about the various impacts of water privatization (selling water rights to private companies instead of being owned by the public).

Read stories showing why publicly funded water is better than privately owned water Includes case studies of 13 U.S. cities and their water issues - ||
 * A detailed report on the costs of supplying water to the public.

A cost comparison of public vs. privately owned water - ||  ||

The struggle to fund water infrastructure improvements is as great in small towns as it is in metropolitan areas. With a population of 856 people, Herminie is a rural farming community in Pennsylvania that has been awaiting a wastewater treatment plant for more than 40 years. As unbelievable as it is to see in an American town in the twenty-first century, wastewater flows in the street, down the mine shafts and directly into the creek, threatening public health and creating a stench on hot summer days. Without grant money, Herminie found its sewage rates would be too high for the community’s income levels. Sewickley Township, home of Herminie, created a sewer authority board in 1998, but it took a decade to finally receive the necessary $15 million in grant and loan funding, in this case from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development office.
 * Liquid Assets Movie Clip (Ask Joe for DVD) **
 * Chapter 9 - Herminie, Pennsylvania: A Small-Town Struggle (Approx. 6.5 min.)**

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