Milwaukee Riverkeeper and allies call for national investment in water infrastructure

November 13, 2008

The Honorable Harry Reid
Office of the Majority Leader
S-221, US Capitol
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Reid:

We applaud your leadership on a stimulus bill that will help the American economy and create good jobs here at home. We agree with you that any such bill must include funding for much needed infrastructure that serves the dual purpose of invigorating our economy and making America more competitive.

Congress has a unique opportunity in the stimulus bill to put forth a new vision for water management by investing in sustainable green infrastructure that will stimulate the economy, create good, ‘non-offshorable’ jobs, and protect communities from the droughts and floods that will accompany climate change. The economic stimulus package should set aside at least 16% of water infrastructure spending for green infrastructure grants. Investing in modern water management systems will have an immediate stimulative impact with billions of dollars of green infrastructure projects ready to be contracted.

The country’s antiquated water infrastructure is failing due to chronic under-funding at all levels of government. It has received a grade of “D minus” from the American Society of Civil Engineers, the worst grade of any of our infrastructure. In this time of economic instability and soaring deficits, it is important that we invest in solutions that do more with less and address a multitude of problems. Green infrastructure is a proven and efficient use of money to reduce stormwater runoff, sewer overflows, and flooding and this same infrastructure protects our communities from the effects of droughts and helps secure our water resources for future generations. At the same time green infrastructure investments will create jobs and foster growth in an important segment of our new economy.

Green strategies for meeting water needs are smarter environmentally and fiscally, and are already being applied by many cities, including San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Portland, Seattle, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Toledo, Cincinnati, and Philadelphia, and many others. Seattle Public Utilities is spending 13 percent of its capital improvement budget on green infrastructure projects. The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District in Chicago estimates that 22 percent of its 2007 stormwater fund expenditures were directed toward green infrastructure projects. New York City plans to spend nearly $1 billion per year over 20 years on green strategies to address stormwater needs under its PlaNYC 2030 plan to prepare for climate change impacts.

The demand for green infrastructure is real, large, and immediate. Communities are investing an average of 16 percent of water infrastructure funding in sustainable green approaches. Based on EPA’s estimate of a clean water capital funding shortfall of $388 billion over a twenty year period, 16 percent of that equates to at least $3 billion in needed green infrastructure funding per year.

Green strategies create good high-paying jobs in many sectors, including plumbing, landscaping, building, and design. Green infrastructure also supports supply chains and the jobs connected with manufacturing of materials, including roof membranes, water efficient appliances, rain barrels, and permeable pavement. New York City estimates that full implementation of PlaNYC will create 4,449 water infrastructure jobs of all types per year. In DeKalb County, Georgia, where retrofits with water-efficient fixtures are now required upon creating a new account with the water utility, the County estimates that modernization would generate between $74.25 million and $148.5 million worth of skilled, well-paying jobs in the plumbing industry. Washington, DC estimates that implementing the city’s Green Roof Initiative would create 1,769 full time jobs for 10 years.

Given the value of and demand for green infrastructure projects and jobs, we believe that Congress should appropriate at least 16 percent of clean water and drinking water infrastructure funding in the form of grants for green strategies in any stimulus bill. 16% of the $6.5 billion for clean water infrastructure in the House-passed stimulus bill, H.R. 7110, equates to just over $1 billion.

We are at a cross roads today in how we manage our water. Traditional water infrastructure solutions have passed their heyday, they are static, solve only a single problem, and require a huge expense to build and maintain. We must use this transformational moment to move from 19th Century water infrastructure to 21st Century sustainable solutions. The time is now to make long-lasting economic investments, create good jobs that respond to the new, green economy, and meet the water challenges facing us in this century.

Sincerely,

American Canoe Association
American Rivers
Clean Water Network
Environment America
Natural Resources Defense Council
National Wildlife Federation
Sierra Club
Union of Concerned Scientists
Alabama Rivers Alliance (AL)
American Bottom Conservancy (IL)
Amigos Bravos (NM)
Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper (NY)
Center for Justice (WA)
Center for Neighborhood Technology (IL)
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Citizens Campaign for the Environment
Colorado Watershed Assembly (CO)
Connecticut River Watershed Council (CT)
Conservation Alabama (AL)
Eno River Association (NC)
Environmental League of Massachusetts (MA)
Friends of the Eel River (CA)
Friends of the Kaw (KS)
Georgia Conservancy (GA)
Gulf Restoration Network
Hackensack Riverkeeper, Inc. (NJ)
Hawkeye Fly Fishing Association (IA)
Hilltown Anti-Herbicide Coalition (MA)
Idaho Rivers United (ID)
Kentucky Waterways Alliance (KT)
Kittatinny Group of the Sierra Club (PA)
Louisiana Environmental Action Network (LA)
Lower Mississippi Riverkeeper (LA)
Massachusetts Watershed Coalition (MA)
Milwaukee Riverkeeper (WI)
New Hope Audubon Society (NC)
NC Conservation Network (NC)
Nebraska Wildlife Federation (NE)
Ohio Environmental Council (OH)
Oregon Environmental Council (OR)
Ogeechee-Canoochee Riverkeeper® (GA)
Palm Beach County Reef Rescue (FL)
Partnership for Earth Spirituality (NM)
Passaic River Coalition (NJ)
PennFuture (PA)
Public Trust Environmental Legal Institute of Florida (FL)
Reef Relief (FL)
RiverLink, Inc. (NC)
Salt Creek Greenway Association (IL)
Save the Dunes Council (IN)
Save the Sound (CT)
Sciencecorps (MA)
Southern Environmental Law Center
Sustainable Obtainable Solutions (MT)
Stony Brook Millstone Watershed Association (NJ)
Tennessee Clean Water Network (TN)
The Maiden Creek Watershed Association (PA)
Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper (GA)
Vermont Natural Resources Council (VT)