This Week in Infrastructure: Get Noisier!
August 8th, 2014 | By: Becky Moylan
After Congress hit the snooze button on fixing the Highway Trust Fund last week, Transportation Secretary Foxx asked Americans to “get a little noisier” on the issue. You can take Sec. Foxx up on his request at FixtheTrustFund.org. Newspapers across the country featured articles, op-eds, and letters to the editor voicing concerns about Congress’ punt last week and encouraging action for a long-term, sustainable solution. There are plenty of good reasons and sound arguments to share when discussing the value in a fix to the Highway Trust Fund. Instead of short-term gimmicks, there is growing support for an increased gas tax because of the value it would create through investment in roads and bridges. A Highway Trust Fund that has adequate funds ensures that state DOTs can plan projects and leads to modern and innovative infrastructure. Northeastern University researchers shared technology that would help eradicate potholes. Ideas like this one are a great example of where infrastructure is heading, and a healthy Highway Trust Fund makes those innovations all the more likely. Roads and bridges are not the only infrastructure sectors that are crying out for investment either, as evident from the 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure’s D+ GPA across 16 sectors. In the past week, the need for investment in the drinking water and wastewater sectors has been particularly apparent because of the water main break at UCLA in California and the unsafe drinking water in the Toledo, Ohio area. Infrastructure works as an interconnected system, making investment in every sector critical for the others as well. While your elected lawmakers are back home during August recess, take the time to “get noisy” and engage with them about the value in infrastructure investment. When the “noise” is a dialogue armed with economic stats, it can create a compelling argument to #FixtheTrustFund and invest in all sectors of infrastructure.Tags: Drinking Water, gas tax, highway trust fund, water infrastructure
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ASCE commends passage of Water Resources Reform and Development Act
May 22nd, 2014 | By: Becky Moylan
Washington, D.C. — The following is a statement from Randall (Randy) S. Over, P.E., F.ASCE, president of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), regarding the final passage today of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act by the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives: “Today’s congressional passage of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) is a defining moment for the nation’s ports, inland waterways, dams, levees and clean water infrastructure. The bill will provide significant funding — $12.3 billion over ten years — to modernize critical infrastructure while also promoting economic growth and job creation. “ASCE’s 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure graded the nation’s ports a C, inland waterways a D-, dams a D, and levees a D-. Since the release of our 2013 Report Card, we’ve urged Congress to pass water resources legislation that would revitalize these languishing sectors. After seven years with no legislative action to modernize the nation’s water resources, this bill will definitively move the ball forward to help raise the grades on America’s infrastructure.“ASCE applauds Congress for its decisive and bipartisan action in getting WRRDA over the finish line. This bill will ensure that our nation’s ports, waterways, dams and levees receive the funding they require so that the United States remains competitive in the 21st century. We look forward to the legislation being signed into law by the president in the coming days.”
Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers represents more than 145,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America’s oldest national engineering society. ASCE’s 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, graded America’s cumulative GPA for infrastructure at a D+. The Report Card app for Apple and Android devices includes videos, interactive maps and info-graphics that tell the story behind the grades, as well as key facts for all 50 states. For more information, visit www.asce.org and follow us on Twitter, @ASCETweets and @ASCEGovRel.###
Tags: congress, dams, infrastructure, levees, ports, water, water infrastructure, wrrda
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WRRDA Clears First Hurdle
September 19th, 2013 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee unanimously approved the $10 billion Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRDA), H.R. 3080, today. The mark up of the legislation went smoothly with limited debate on amendments. During mark-up several members of the committee provided amendments to speed up the expenditure of funds out of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, however each was withdrawn from consideration after it was made known that they would not pass through the full House. During the hearing Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) drove the message home that “WRRDA is the most policy and reform focused legislation of its kind in the last two decades”. He went on further to state that the “bill contains no earmarks and makes reforms needed to increase transparency, accountability, and Congressional oversight of federal water resources development. At its heart, WRRDA is about jobs and improving America’s competitiveness. A strong water transportation network is critical to keeping pace with other nations that are improving their own infrastructure networks and gaining ground in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.” WRRDA would seek to increase the amount of money spent from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, require the Army Corps of Engineers to send Congress annual reports on proposed activities, and set up a process to deauthorize $12 billion in programs. It also would include provisions to speed up the environmental review process, such as limiting feasibility studies to three years and federal costs of a study to $3 million, and establishing a process to elevate issues that could delay the process to agency heads. At this point WRRDA has not received much push back from conservative groups that often publicly criticize infrastructure spending bills. In fact, many of those groups, which have the ear of the most conservative members of the House, have praised WRRDA’s reforms, while admitting they would preferred to have seen them go further. This lukewarm reception will benefit WRRDA as it is considered by the House in early October.Tags: congress, transportation, water infrastructure
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FutureStructure – Looking at the Future of Infrastructure and Us
September 6th, 2013 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
What do we want and need from our infrastructure in a hyper-connected, modern world? ASCE has partnered with Governing magazine and others to consider what “FutureStructure” means and how we can get there. The goal of FutureStructure is to help public sector leaders think more like system engineers and get past the constraints of today’s often haphazard and siloed approaches. Last week, ASCE headed to Chicago to join the conversation about this new framework for thinking through and solving the infrastructure challenges and possibilities of an integrated, fully connected, and modern future. What does a 21st century city- and community-building approach consist of you may ask?- cities as systems that are connected, well integrated and smarter — with greater responsiveness to community needs;
- smart, connected and integrated infrastructure that makes more efficient use of resources and improves the quality of life for the people who use it;
- new job skills that will be needed to develop, build, deploy and operate these connected systems
Shuster and Gibbs Announce Plans for House to Consider WRRDA
August 5th, 2013 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
On Friday, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA), along with Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Chairman Bob Gibbs (R-OH), revealed that the Committee will review and consider WRRDA (no, that is not a typo – see below) when Congress returns from recess in September. According to Reps. Shuster and Gibbs, the bill will be marked up shortly after Congress reconvenes September 10, and should hopefully be considered on the House floor in October. Though a draft of the bill is finished, it has not been publicly released as details are still being worked out. This has not stopped many Congressional leaders who have seen it from declaring their support for WRRDA. Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) are two of the more notable names that have thrown their support behind the legislation. The Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) aims to provide funding to many projects that will enhance and repair our nation’s waterway infrastructure, accelerate the study and review process required before a project can commence, and reduce red tape. According to ASCE’s Failure to Act studies, our nation’s waterways face a funding gap of almost $85 billion by 2020 that will result in $200 billion in losses by 2020, and over $2 trillion by 2040. The Senate passed its version of the WRDA bill on May 15. Until the full text of the House’s bill is released, it is unknown how the two versions stack up against each other. ASCE members should contact their Representatives in support of prompt consideration and passage of water resources legislation when the House returns in September.- During August, consider scheduling a Back Home Visit http://www.asce.org/Government-Relations/Key-Contact-Program/Back-Home-Visits-Materials/ with your Representative or look for Town Hall Meetings or other public appearances by your Representative. Visit ASCE’s Back Home Visits page http://www.asce.org/Government-Relations/Key-Contact-Program/Back-Home-Visits-Materials/ for tips and background materials to help you.
- Use ASCE’s Click & Connect with Congress advocacy website http://capwiz.com/asce/issues/alert/?alertid=62713246 to read background and write your Representative in support of water resources legislation.
Tags: infrastructure, water infrastructure, water resources development act
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Mexico Ramps Up Infrastructure Investment Over the Next 5 Years
July 18th, 2013 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
This week Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto announced an initiative to fund $300 billion dollars (4 trillion pesos) worth of infrastructure projects through 2018. The money will be used to extend highways, revitalize and extend both passenger and freight rail, and upgrade ports in Mexico to increase capacity and efficiency of handling. “Nobody can doubt that better infrastructure translates into more competitiveness and productivity, which will ignite economic growth and social well-being,” Peña Nieto said. “These are investments that will translate into jobs.” The new plan will bring Mexico’s infrastructure investment up to half a trillion dollars (6.25 trillion pesos) over the space of their last two infrastructure plans. Infrastructure areas slated to receive investment include:- Construct or upgrade 3,361 miles of highways
- 6 regional airport upgrades
- Several sea ports
- 3 intercity passenger railways
- New subway line for Monterrey
- Light passenger-train system for Guadalajara
U.S. Conference of Mayors’ Water Council Is Looking For Every Drop
July 3rd, 2013 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
We joined the US Conference of Mayors last week to promote our 2013 Report Card, and being in sunny, dry Las Vegas, water was top of mind for many of the mayors in attendance. Besides being confident that their water is the best tasting in the nation, mayors at the U.S. Conference of Mayors Water Council voiced concern at the lack of response to what they see as trends changing the U.S. entire approach to water from policy to practice. Water resources and efficient management were called out as emerging issues that every city should be focusing on. The City of Irving, Texas’ mayor highlighted their city’s ongoing struggle to handle population growth with drought conditions and noted the recent Supreme Court case pitting Texas vs Oklahoma on water rights that will force mayors to become more focused in how to make the most of their resources in the most sustainable manner possible. However Texas isn’t the only place to see drought conditions or limitations on available water sources , mayors from Iowa and others in the midwest also spoke up regarding their long-term struggle with these issues. So how are they making the most of their resources in the most sustainable manner possible? Reuse for grounds- Parks, recreation facilities, and lawns can be set up to use rainwater or greywater rather than sending this back into the water system for treatment. Treat water differently- adding new technology and harnessing nature to handle treatment in an environmentally conscious way or look to R&D to find new processes and methods like changing the order of the processing of sludge so it doesn’t require as many chemicals. Implement technology with competition- Shifting water meters from manual reads to automated reads and using one platform to get several vendors to compete for work combines both technology and competition to meet needs and curb costs. For one city, this saved about $6M! Fix the leaks- almost 30% to 40% of water is lost in many systems and new pressure control valves and other monitoring systems can help bring this number down and save cities money on both operations and lost product.45 Cities Join to Launch Resilient Communities for America Initiative
July 2nd, 2013 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
Last week, the National Press Club hosted the launch of the Resilient Communities for America campaign. Forty-five mayors and county leaders have signed the agreement, pledging to invest to make towns and communities more resilient in the wake of increasingly severe weather. Mayors of many prominent cities such as Denver, San Diego, Washington, D.C., Sacramento, Des Moines, and El Paso have committed themselves to focus on resilience. Salud Carbajal of Santa Barbara County, CA, noted that America “must be able to plan, anticipate, and adapt” to extreme weather to protect our towns.
American cities are facing more and more droughts, floods, power outages, and hurricanes. Cities such as Des Moines, Iowa have suffered from strings of alternating severe droughts and floods. They experienced three near-500 year floods in 2010 alone, suffered widespread drought in 2012, and are now in the midst of the wettest season in 140 years of recorded history. Even those communities who for years have made themselves more resilient to brace against tropical storms and hurricanes are in need of greater measures. In light of crumbling seawalls and the need for regular beach nourishment to prevent erosion in many beach communities, coastal areas are more vulnerable than ever to powerful storms.
Resilient Communities for America requires signatories to self-impose goals for achieving greater resilience based on their individual situations. However, several partner groups such as the National League of Cities, World Wildlife Fund, and U.S. Green Building Council have agreed to provide free technical resources to the cities in order to achieve their goals. Vulnerable cities are investing in innovative techniques such as salinity barriers to prevent contamination of fresh groundwater, better coordination after disasters, and achieving a balance between growth and environmental responsibility to limit catastrophes. This new program emphasizes coordination, cooperation, and investment at all levels of government. Mr. Anthony said that while local actions need to be taken, a regional and national approach to resilience is essential for success. Cooperation is vital, he says, because these “challenges do not stop at city lines”.
How WRDA Can Reduce Risks and Costs of Future Floods
June 6th, 2013 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
In a Monday briefing, representatives from the Association of State Floodplain Managers, National Association of Flood and Stormwater Management Agencies, and the Nature Conservancy gathered to discuss the opportunities in the proposed WRDA bill to reduce flood risks and the potential damages from flood disasters. The nation’s dam and levee system is characterized by low system integration, having been constructed in an ad hoc manner, with little to no regard for the effects beyond the immediate applications. Because dams and levees are often constructed by localities to serve the needs of their constituents, there is no full register of all the existing dams and levees in the United States. Many of the known dams and levees are reaching or exceeding their designed operating age of 50 years, creating a pressing need for a National Levee Safety Program. Recently built dams are constructed to withstand the 100 year flood. However, according to Dr. Professor Mathias Kondolf of U.C.-Berkeley, a house with a 30 year mortgage built in a floodplain area has an aggregate 26 percent chance of being flooded over the course of the mortgage. Since they are living under the protection of a 100 year dam, houses in these areas often do not have flood insurance and have not taken steps to protect themselves, such as elevating the structure, from flood waters. Dr. Kondolf continued on to say that the aim of modern dams is to “filter out the small floods,” but that they do not protect from “the big ones.” In many areas historically prone to flooding and flood damage, the presence of protective structures has actually drawn increased levels of business and personal development. This risk intensification was borne out in areas damaged by Superstorm Sandy and Hurricane Katrina when levees holding back ocean water failed. Floods, in their natural form, are healthy for and necessary parts of an ecosystem. In fact, without the floods of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers carrying silt and material, the Mississippi Delta around which New Orleans is built would not exist. Disaster arises when a dam or levee is built and people are allowed to build and live in what was the floodplain. When a flood does breach the wall, the costs can be astronomical. The hazards out flood disasters can be mitigated by analyzing and appropriately managing flood-vulnerable areas. By adopting policies known in the Netherlands as “room for the rivers,” the effects of floods on human activities can be mitigated. Some recommendations in accord with this are to set levees further back from the main flow of water, thus allowing any flood to proceed more naturally, or to designate areas of land that to be used as flood bypasses during times of high flood waters. However, the availability of these lands during dry times can induce development. All representatives present at Monday’s briefing agreed that, as a rule, “non-structural” approaches such as giving the river room, building houses above flood level, and creating natural drainage channels around cities are best suited to provide long-term protection. Ultimately, WRDA is an essential bill to plan and manage the nation’s waterways and flood preparedness. It is necessary to establish national guidelines for dams and levees, provide money to repair levees, and establish a comprehensive database of levees in the country. Cost-sharing, imposing per-project caps, and creating a national floodplain management plan will allow the legislation to provide the greatest amount of benefit.
Tags: congress, dams, levees, natural disasters, water infrastructure, water resources development act
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Get to Know North Carolina’s Mediocre Infrastructure
June 5th, 2013 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
Today, North Carolina’s civil engineers released a new Infrastructure Report Card. After spending a year diving into the details of the state’s infrastructure – from bridges to beaches to dams – they determined that North Carolina’s infrastructure only deserved a mediocre C grade. Like many areas of the country, North Carolina has some work to do to make sure maintenance gets done, aging parts of the system get a modern overhaul, and the infrastructure keeps up with the state’s growth.
The state-wide report examined eleven categories of infrastructure, grading their capacity, resiliency, funding, and reliability. Here’s what they found:
- Aviation earned a D+, in part due to an estimated $763 million needed to bring all airports in the system to a state of good repair.
- Beaches and Inlets were awarded a C-. Many shoals and inlets are functioning at significantly less than authorized depths. Continued erosion of federal and state funding has a significant impact N.C.’s beaches and inlets.
- Bridges earned a C-. North Carolina’s bridges require $281 million more per year in order to make significant strides in raising the grade of North Carolina bridges.
- Dams earned the lowest grade of a D. Ten percent of North Carolina’s high hazard dams are deficient and only 34 percent have Emergency Action Plans. One-third of North Carolina’s dams are over 50 years old.
- Drinking Water earned a C+. North Carolina has over 530 public water systems which serve approximately 7.3 million North Carolinians (75 percent of the state’s population).
- Energy was awarded the highest grade in the report of a B+. North Carolina has a solid foundation of energy and energy infrastructure to meet its current and 20-year planning horizon needs.
- Rail earned a C+, in part due to only 30 percent of the state’s short lines being able to accommodate new, heavier rail cars. It is estimated that freight rail investment needs over the next 25 years will total $545 million.
- Roads earned a C. The scale of the state maintained highway network, current economic circumstances, and the trend of reducing the state transportation agency’s resources and personnel have been challenges to providing and maintaining a sustainable quality of service.
- Schools earned a C. Over 58 percent of North Carolina schools will require renovations in the next five years. Additionally, approximately 10 percent of students are in mobile classrooms. The projected cost to meet facility needs for the next five years is approximately $8.2 billion.
- Stormwater earned a grade of C-. Most of North Carolina’s population lives in communities that have no dedicated source of funding to improve stormwater quality. Statewide sources of funding such as the N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund are being reduced and North Carolina’s communities have fewer and fewer options when trying to address their stormwater improvement needs.
- Wastewater earned a C. North Carolina has documented a need of over $4 billion of additional wastewater infrastructure investment needs through the year 2030. These funds are needed to replace aging facilities, comply with mandated Clean Water Act regulations, and keep pace with economic development.
Tags: bridges, continuing education, dams, energy, infrastructure, infrastructure report card, ports, rail transportation, roads, state report cards, transportation, wastewater, water infrastructure
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