Author Archive
Solid Waste
January 21st, 2013 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
In 2010, Americans generated 250 million tons of trash. Of that, 85 million tons were recycled or composted. This represents a 34% recycling rate, more than double the 14.5% in 1980. Per capita generation rates of waste have been steady over the past 20 years and have even begun to show signs of decline in the past several years.Levees
January 21st, 2013 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
The nation’s estimated 100,000 miles of levees can be found in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Many of these levees were originally used to protect farmland, and now are increasingly protecting developed communities. The reliability of these levees is unknown in many cases, and the country has yet to establish a National Levee Safety Program. Public safety remains at risk from these aging structures, and the cost to repair or rehabilitate these levees is roughly estimated to be $100 billion by the National Committee on Levee Safety. However, the return on investment is clear – as levees helped in the prevention of more than $141 billion in flood damages in 2011.Hazardous Waste
January 21st, 2013 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
There has been undeniable success in the cleanup of the nation’s hazardous waste and brownfields sites. However, annual funding for Superfund site cleanup is estimated to be as much as $500 million short of what is needed, and 1,280 sites remain on the National Priorities List with an unknown number of potential sites yet to be identified. More than 400,000 brownfields sites await cleanup and redevelopment . The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that one in four Americans lives within three miles of a hazardous waste site.Drinking Water
January 21st, 2013 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
At the dawn of the 21st century, much of our drinking water infrastructure is nearing the end of its useful life. There are an estimated 240,000 water main breaks per year in the United States. Assuming every pipe would need to be replaced, the cost over the coming decades could reach more than $1 trillion, according to the American Water Works Association (AWWA). The quality of drinking water in the United States remains universally high, however. Even though pipes and mains are frequently more than 100 years old and in need of replacement, outbreaks of disease attributable to drinking water are rare.Dams
January 21st, 2013 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
The average age of the 84,000 dams in the country is 52 years old. The nation’s dams are aging and the number of high-hazard dams is on the rise. Many of these dams were built as low-hazard dams protecting undeveloped agricultural land. However, with an increasing population and greater development below dams, the overall number of high-hazard dams continues to increase, to nearly 14,000 in 2012. The number of deficient dams is estimated at more than 4,000, which includes 2,000 deficient high-hazard dams. The Association of State Dam Safety Officials estimates that it will require an investment of $21 billion to repair these aging, yet critical, high-hazard dams.Driving Off the Fiscal Cliff
December 12th, 2012 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
Courtesy Flickr/Les Chatfield
Save America's Infrastructure Gives Thanks
November 21st, 2012 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
This Thursday, families across the country will sit down and give thanks for good fortunes they’ve encountered this past year. Members of our office and the infrastructure community in general have reason to be thankful for a great many things that occurred this past year or exist as a part of America’s infrastructure as a whole. Below are some of the items that our staff is thankful for this year. I’m very thankful for the new HOT lanes in Virginia that will reduce congestion in the Metro-DC area; the excellent job Chris Christie did in responding to Hurricane Sandy; and for the US having one of the cleanest drinking water supplies readily available. -Adam G.
Courtesy Flickr/c-Adam G.
Tags: infrastructure
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2012 November Ballot Initiatives
November 9th, 2012 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
This past Tuesday, voters across the country went to the polls and let their voices be heard. Voters in 39 states were asked to decide 188 ballot propositions – the most since 2006. ASCE members in 5 states -Alaska, Arkansas, Hawaii, Maine and Oklahoma were sent Key Alerts in regards to state-wide ballot initiatives dealing with infrastructure issues in those states. If you live in one of those states did you receive the Alert? Did you pass it along to your peers? Word-of-mouth promotion of an issue is often the most persuasive! Alaska Type: Bonding for Transportation Projects Voters were asked to give permission to the State to borrow $195.4 million to fund 18 port and port-related transportation projects around the state, and also $254.5 million to finance highway and road projects in different regions. Result: Passed 57%-43% Arkansas Type: Sales Tax for Transportation Projects Voters were asked to implement a half-percent sales tax in the state. This revenue generated from this ballot initiative, also known as Issue 1, would be used to leverage bonds to pay for creating a statewide four-lane grid and adding capacity to the existing four-lane highways statewide.Result: Passed 57%-43% Result: Passed 58%-42% Hawaii Type: Bonding for Dam and Reservoir Safety Voters were asked to authorize the State to issue special purpose revenue bonds and use the proceeds from the bonds to assist dam and reservoir owners to make their facilities compliant with current safety standards. Result: Failed, Only 49% in favor of While the ‘Yes’ Votes outnumbered the ’No’ votes 49% to 40%, with 11% of the vote leaving the item blank the ballot initiative failed to get a majority of the vote in the state and therefore did not pass. Maine Question 4 Type: Bonding for Transportation Projects Voters were asked to give permission to the State to borrow $51.5 million to fund transportation projects around the state which in turn would make the State eligible for at least , $105 million in matching funds. Result: Passed 72%-28% Question 5 Type: Bonding for Water Projects Voters were asked to give permission to the State to borrow $7.9 million to leverage $39.6 million in federal grants to fund the State Revolving Fund (SRF). Result: Passed 63%-37% Oklahoma Type: Bonding for Water Projects Voters were asked to approve constitutional amendment that creates the Water Infrastructure Credit Enhancement Reserve fund, and authorizes the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) to provide financing to local communities for water infrastructure projects at lower interest rates. Result: Passed 57%-43% In addition to these statewide initiatives there were also many local initiatives with a broad impact. Here is a listing of some of the most significant and their results. Los Angeles County, California: Los Angeles County weighed in on a 30-year extension of a half-cent transportation sales tax. Measure J is a linchpin of L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s plans to remake the nation’s premier car centric city. And it would tack another 30 years on Measure R, which was narrowly approved by voters in 2009 and is expected to bring in around $40 billion over its lifetime. Result: Failed. 65% in favor of-35% against. This measure required 66.66% approval. Alameda County, California: Residents were asked to approve Measure B1, a plan that would extend a current half-cent transportation sales tax and tack another half-cent on top. This would create $7.7 billion over 30 years for a tax that would be employed in perpetuity, though regional project lists would get reevaluated every 20 years. That money would go toward the regional BART system, reinstate bus service cuts during the recession and enact a complete streets policy. Result: Failed. 66% in favor of-34% against. This measure required 66.66% approval. El Paso County, Colorado: Voters were asked to approve a ten-year renewal of a 0.55% sales tax for the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority. Revenue will be used to support 150 capital projects, approximately 3% of which are transit-related. The current tax is set to expire December 31, 2014. If approved, the tax would be extended until 2024. Result: Passed 72%-18% Orange County, North Carolina: A measure in this Chapel Hill community between Durham and Raleigh could signal the expansion of regional rail. Residents will vote on a half-cent sales tax increase to allow for enhanced bus and light-rail service. Investments could reach $661 million. This would mark the second of three counties needed to link the popular Research Triangle region by transit. Result: Passed 59%-31% Richland County, South Carolina: Known as the “transportation penny,” this one-cent sales tax increase will go toward major road, bike and greenway projects in a county that includes Columbia. Advocates say it will generate more than $1 billion over the next 22 years Result: Passed 53%-47% Memphis, Tennessee: Memphis is asking for a one-cent increase in the gas tax to fund the Memphis Area Transit Authority. If approved the move would bring about $3 million per year in additional funding. Result: Failed. 38% in favor of-62% against. Pierce County, Washington: This Tacoma area measure would add a .3 percent sales tax to salvage public transportation. The county has already cut its bus service by about 40 percent. Without additional revenue, it could slash around 50 percent more. The move could generate $28 million annually. Result: Still Too Close to Call
Get Out The Vote (for Infrastructure Initiatives)
November 5th, 2012 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
Courtesy Flickr/seanmcmenemy
Tags: elections
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The Clean Water Act Turns 40!
October 18th, 2012 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
The Clean Water Act is 40 years old this week, and we are all so much better for it because it. As we near the end of 2012, we can look back and say we’ve made remarkable progress on cleaning up the nation’s waters. Forty years ago, people were afraid to swim or fish in our waters, our lakes and our rivers. And quite frankly, we didn’t have the resources to address the issue.
The Cuyahoga River in Ohio, which caught on fire and sparked the creation of the Clean Water Act. Courtesy Flickr/jborger
