Infrastructure in the News: Innovative and sexy are in, old and dilapidated are out
June 3rd, 2016 | By: Olivia Wolfertz
With Dam Safety Awareness Day and the kickoff of Innovation Month, water, transportation, and dam infrastructure continue to be a topic of discussion in the media. Monday was National Dam Safety Awareness Day, which raised awareness about the need for dam safety protocols and procedures to protect the public from danger potentially caused by failing dams. Alabama is the only state without a dam safety program, which means the state does not have a record of how many dams there are in the state or what condition they are all in. Without a dam safety program, Alabama also doesn’t have an Emergency Action Plan (EAP) that is required in other states. While this is only one state, it underscores the need for nationwide awareness about the urgency of proper dam safety procedures. You can learn more by visiting livingneardams.org. In addition to dam safety, this week is the start of the U.S. DOT’s Innovation Month, which highlights the importance of confronting our infrastructure challenges and striving to develop new ideas and solutions that move us forward. ASCE’s Gamechangers report identifies great examples of innovative projects across a number of infrastructure sectors, and shows the benefits that communities experience when they choose to invest and innovate. Innovation, however, is simply not enough to restore our water, roads, dams and bridges that need serious attention. A story in CBS detailed the state of our “crumbling bridges, cratered roads and leaking metros,” explaining how people prefer groundbreakings and openings over the routine work of infrastructure maintenance. Because of this mindset, the cost of fixing the country’s aging infrastructure is estimated to be around $1 trillion over the next decade. An article in Forbes discussed the need to make infrastructure “sexy” again, emphasizing the tremendous importance that well-maintained infrastructure plays in our quality of life and overall competitiveness as a nation. An article in VICE News shone a light on U.S. rail infrastructure in comparison with the recent opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland, underscoring the investment needs of our rail infrastructure. In order to improve our infrastructure and build a foundation for innovation, it is important that local, state and federal governments work together to find long-term, sustainable funding that will allow for such improvement.Infrastructure in the News: The Domino Effect of Water Infrastructure
February 12th, 2016 | By: Olivia Wolfertz
Recent events, including water main breaks, have renewed attention in our nation’s pipes, sewers, and dams and this week Members of Congress focused on different aspects of our water delivery and water resources infrastructure. Representatives Earl Blumenauer, John Duncan and Richard Hanna introduced the Water Investment Trust Fund Act, a bipartisan bill that will provide a source of revenue to help states replace, repair and rehabilitate critical clean drinking water facilities. Water infrastructure issues can have a domino effect in a community. Last year alone, American communities suffered more than 240,000 water main breaks and saw overflowing combined sewer systems, causing contamination, property damage, disruptions in the water supply, and massive traffic jams. Thus this bill addresses water infrastructure with the intention of alleviating some of these issues. One example of the challenge that comes when a pipe bursts is in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The frigid weather coupled with the gushing water created a blanket of ice for one neighborhood. In addition to drinking water facilities, dams also play a critical role in our daily lives—even if they’re often out of sight, and out of mind. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the biggest source of renewable energy in the U.S. is hydropower, making up nearly half of the U.S.’ renewable energy in 2014. Yet the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has classified about 14,000 of those dams as “high hazard potential.” To repair and update just the high-hazard dams, the Association of State Dam Safety Officials estimates it would cost $21 billion. An article in Tech Insider features a map that shows the country’s dams color coded by how hazardous they are and points to the need for the National Dam Safety Program to be authorized. Alabama is the only state without a dam safety program, meaning their state’s dams have not been inventoried since the 1970s. As our water infrastructure, in all of its forms, continues to age, we must invest in it. Therefore, it is critical that elected leaders at the federal, state and local levels continue to prioritize investment into the backbone of our economy.
