Making Water Costs Fall @ (NAPSA)—A number of groups are working to plug potential leaks in one of the largest and most important infrastructure Works Association (AWWA), the fed- The network of drinking water and wastewater pipes buried near future, water utilities will have to overhaul their pipe networks and increase pipe replacement and repair efforts to unprecedented levels. networks in the country: The drinking and wastewater system. undergroundis over four times larger than the national highway system—660,000 miles of pipe ver- sus 160,000 miles of road—and has proven to be one of the most thorough andefficient water distribution networks in the world. A number of scientists have pointed out, however, that despite the U.S. water system’s relative smooth sailing throughout the years, much of the infrastructure is more than 100 years old and badly in need of an overhaul. The older a water pipe gets, they argue, the more it degrades—andthe risk posed to the public’s health, water supply and economyincreases. According to the American Water eral government, local governments and utility companies need to work together to clean up the country’s potential water problems. The group says that in the The AWWA warnsthat without a coordinated approach involving government, consumers and industry, some utilities will not be able to meet their future structural and logistical needs, which could cost as muchasonetrillion dollars. The Association argues that by working together, government and utility companies can makea coordinated effort to improve the U.S. water supply, protect public health and possibly help stave off a wave of high water costs in the future. For more information, visit www.awwa.org.
