50 years after the Clean Water Act, we have the opportunity to change how the country manages water infrastructure with $55 billion in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and other major legislation. "The scale of these resources may finally break the cycle where financial constraints make it challenging to prioritize adequate maintenance and improvements, resulting in costlier infrastructure failures down the road."
On the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, we can reflect on the progress made these past 50 years while also thinking about what needs to be done. Pollution standards and permits, runoff pollution from indirect sources, wetland disputes, and environmental injustices are a few challenges that the country is still facing.
Homes and businesses in Virginia are drawing groundwater faster than it can be replenished, which is causing the ground to slowly sink and collapse in some areas. Officials may have found a solution in the sewers, using treated wastewater to augment their supplies of drinking water.
This week's TWDB drought map shows more expansion and intensification of drought, with precipitation so far this month being 1-2 inches below average.