Industry Insight

Water Matters

Water is a fundamental resource needed by every individual and community. The many water challenges confronting us today are complex, pressing, expensive, and evolving. From flooding and stormwater management to adequate access to clean water, to identifiable contamination and replacement of lead pipes, water — or lack thereof — poses risks to the environment, infrastructure, neighborhoods and commercial districts, farmers and our food supply, and public health. At times we have too much water and sometimes there isn’t enough clean water to meet our needs. Regardless of the challenge, we can develop sustainable solutions to protect and maintain this vital resource.

Climate impacts including more severe weather events and repeated large storms affecting the same areas over and over are causing disruptions to daily life, damaging transportation routes, flooding homes and businesses, and threatening important wastewater infrastructure. Flooding can also result in combined sewer overflow (CSO) running into rivers and streams. Communities are addressing these challenges with a variety of solutions from employing “SMART Water” technology to building infrastructure with elements in place to handle overflows during high water events thereby mitigating flooding and damage.

NEWS: CHA’s Elio R. Espino, Ph.D., PE, Joins FIU Departmental Advisory Board

Elio R. Espino, Ph.D., PE, Traffic and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Business Practice Leader, has joined the Departmental Advisory Board for Florida International University’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. More than 1,000 undergraduate and about 150 graduate students are enrolled in this premiere department at Miami’s leading public research university. Read more

Access to clean water is essential, yet some communities struggle to provide this basic necessity. A lack of clean water is especially prevalent in lower income communities with aging infrastructure and/ or underfunded treatment and distribution facilities. Funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) will play a big role over the next five years as communities tap into available funding to address some of their most pressing clean water infrastructure needs.

Water contamination is yet another concern we are facing. Media reports now warn us that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) or manufactured “forever chemicals” are have been found in drinking water. In June 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a new advisory that even tiny amounts of some PFAS chemicals found in drinking water may pose health risks. Removing PFAS from drinking water will take a significant investment in clean-up technologies and comprehensive strategies to restrict the use of PFAS. The EPA’s infusion of annual funds makes now the time to start planning these transformational projects.

Most lead exposure occurs due to water coming into contact with lead pipes, faucets, and other plumbing fixtures. Lead service lines (LSLs), or pipes that connect homes to water mains, are more common in older cities and homes, specifically those built before 1986. The Safe Drinking Water Act Lead Ban in 1986 resulted in a shift to copper, galvanized steel or PVC pipe, but unfortunately, millions of LSLs still exist today and need to be replaced. Communities across the country are taking inventory of their lead service lines to prioritize and plan for replacement.

CHA’s water resources team is on the front lines, working with communities to address these challenges with sustainable, multi-faceted approaches. We know there are solutions that can work for communities big and small, and we’re optimistic these solutions will protect our most vital resource, water.