President’s Message

Cost of Neglecting Our Infrastructure Continues to Grow

In 2022, we received good news regarding infrastructure funding. We saw the passage of a long-sought-after federal infrastructure bill that could possibly bring almost $10 billion in funding to Massachusetts, $1.1 billion directly for water infrastructure. And UCANE’s advocacy efforts helped direct hundreds of millions of additional dollars towards water and our underground infrastructure through stimulus and surplus revenues. It is critical that current supply chain and inflation issues not delay these funds from being spent. Although the issues at the MBTA seem to dominate the news and are rightfully being addressed, we cannot let “out of sight be out of mind” and ignore the recent examples we’ve seen when our outdated water infrastructure is neglected.

Nationally, the water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi, is a prime example of what can happen when crucial projects are delayed. Most of the city’s 150,000 residents were without running water for days, causing Governor Tate Reeves to declare a state of emergency. Governor Reeves stated that there wasn’t enough water to fight fires, reliably flush toilets, and meet other critical needs. The cause? An outdated water treatment plant and inadequate water pumps at a secondary plant that went years without upgrades and repairs. While water pressure has been restored, the city is still under a boil water order for the foreseeable future, and the EPA is now investigating the situation.

Closer to home here in Massachusetts, Provincetown experienced a 4-day sewer emergency during the height of its summer tourist season because its vacuum system was not equipped to deal with the type of rainstorm that has become all too common. That issue was just one that the Cape’s 15 towns are facing as they implement the mandated 208 Plan to address its water pollution issues. The cost is expected to be $4 billion. And Massachusetts rivers, from the Merrimack to the Connecticut River, are experiencing raw or partially treated sewage discharges on a regular basis. Hundreds of millions of gallons are spilled into our rivers every year, which may surprise people that this still happens in 2022. Even the city of Boston, where there is a very aggressive pipe replacement program, experienced two major water main breaks within a few days of each other, causing major disruptions. One of the pipes was 150 years old.

The drought conditions being experienced by much of New England this summer has also been an issue. The lack of rain has made it a great summer for outdoor activities, but has put a strain on the water supply. Many cities and towns have put water bans and restrictions in place to help conserve water. I’m sure many lawns across the state are a fine shade of brown by now, but these conservation policies are necessary in a lot of areas. People are using a lot less water this summer. This means that household water bills will be down quite a bit this year. The downside is that there will be a lot less revenue received by Water and Sewer Departments across the state, which means less money to spend on necessary maintenance and capital projects. This comes on the heels of the pandemic and business shutdowns which also caused a dramatic decrease in water use and revenue.

These issues underscore the need to utilize the once in a generation opportunity the additional funding provides over the next few years. We also need to continue to advocate for long-term dedicated revenue for our drinking water, wastewater, and underground utility infrastructure so that we can ensure the health and economic vitality of our residents in the years and generations to come. n