MAKING OUR WATER SYSTEMS SAFER AND MORE RESILIENT

KEITH PUGH, PE, PWLF, APWA PRESIDENT

My favorite body of water is the one I am near at the moment. I was born in Pensacola, Florida, and have fond memories of spending time with my father, my grandfather, and my brother fishing in the Perdido River and the various ponds located in the panhandle. I also enjoy visiting the white sandy beaches and swimming in the crystal blue waters of the Florida Keys.

Today I work in North Carolina and live in Tennessee. I love to hike, which allows me to explore the woods and bask in the beauty of a tremendous overlook, a waterfall or a clear mountain stream. I enjoy kayaking, which allows me to explore lakes, rivers, and various other waters. The Blue Ridge Parkway, the Appalachian Trail, and the Great Smoky Mountains are some of my favorite places for these adventures. I’m often greeted by a beautiful waterfall, an inviting river or a pristine lake during one of my hikes. And as always, I believe in the principles of “Leave No Trace” when visiting these special places. I do pick up trash in the woods and pack it out. The only evidence I leave behind are my footprints.

We are lucky to have such breathtaking places to visit throughout the country. When you think about it, water is central to so many places that we are attracted to. But taking care of our water resources was not always part of our culture.

“Leave things better than you found them.”

In 1972, the bipartisan Clean Water Act was signed into law. The goal of the law was, and continues to be, to restore and maintain clean and healthy waters in the United States. Every day, I appreciate the work that public works professionals do to achieve the goal of this legislation. Every day, I benefit from public works professionals who ensure that the water I drink is safe, that our stormwater systems are resilient, and that our wastewater systems operate in a manner that returns clean water back to the environment where it can be the source of another community’s drinking water. Believe me, I know that none of these tasks is easy.

Let’s think systematically, be visionary, and make sure that we get the best bang for each buck.

A little over a year ago, the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) was passed. Grants, loans, and other forms of assistance will be distributed by numerous federal agencies to assist with projects in areas including transportation, water/wastewater, emergency management, resiliency, cybersecurity, and more. New programs will be executed through agency rulemaking procedures, and existing programs will receive increased funding. We as stewards of our infrastructure and environment have a chance of a lifetime to rebuild America’s infrastructure, including our water infrastructure.

As we look at this opportunity, I urge my public works colleagues to select projects that make the most sense to do now. We need to consider asset management principles and be fiscally responsible. We need to think strategically –what can we do now to build resilient infrastructure to serve today’s needs and withstand tomorrow’s challenges? We need to partner with others. Not always but sometimes, a regional approach is better, especially when accountability to those who pay for the services can be maintained. Let’s think systematically, be visionary, and make sure that we get the best bang for each buck.

Sometimes, a regional approach is better, when accountability to those who pay for the services can be maintained. We can make our water systems safer, more resilient, and more efficient, and we will continue a path of restoring and maintaining clean and healthy waters for generations to come.

I have shared my father’s motto with you before: “Leave things better than you found them.” I am optimistic that with the funding now available to us, with the advances in science and technology, and with the outstanding professionals who make up the American Public Works Association, we can make our water systems safer, more resilient, and more efficient, and we will continue a path of restoring and maintaining clean and healthy waters for generations to come.