In a survey recently published by the Value of Water Coalition, four out of five Americans said it was important or extremely important to invest in strategies and programs to develop sustainable water supplies. The survey explained that water and wastewater service providers are the primary source for funding water infrastructure, and customers are typically charged relatively small fees for water compared to other household utilities such as electricity, heat, cable or Internet. More than half of respondents agreed that water bills need to increase so water systems can be modernized.

“The results of this survey show that Americans know the truth about water: It is essential, at risk, and worth investing in,” said Radhika Fox, director of the Coalition.

The survey was commissioned by the Value of Water Coalition and conducted online by Harris Poll April 9-13, 2015, among 2,023 adults ages 18 and older living in the United States.  The findings include:

·         Eighty two percent of Americans think it is important or extremely important to invest in strategies and programs that develop sustainable water supplies.

·         After explaining that the primary source of funding to modernize and repair water infrastructure is the revenue collected by local water and wastewater providers from their customers, more than half of respondents (56 percent) agreed with the statement: “Water bills need to increase to repair and modernize water and wastewater infrastructure.”

We at CWC are encouraged to see that such a significant majority of Americans agree with us on the critical need for investments in sustainable clean drinking water and wastewater delivery systems. But, as we have said before, we feel that residential water consumers should not be asked to bear the brunt of the multi-billion dollar investments needed to fix our aging and deteriorating water infrastructure in communities all over the country. We have reported on the upward trend of residential water pricing and how it reflects the critical need for state and federal funding to augment the revenue collected by local providers. It is simply unfair for ordinary Americans to shoulder that burden through ever-increasing water bills.

The Value of Water Coalition study shows a clear consensus for the need to increase government funding for water infrastructure; we will continue to push lawmakers to join that consensus. Join us by visiting www.cleanwatercouncil.org.