WATER

Renew America’s Water

Why Oregon Needs Federal Investment in Public Water to
Provide Safe Water for Generations to Come
Fact Sheet • August 2010

O regon’s public water systems have provided reliable access to drinking water
and safe disposal of wastewater for decades, yet a crisis looms. When Congress
passed the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act to ensure that our
waterways were protected and our drinking water safe, they provided increased
funding for community water systems to meet these more protective standards.
However, since the 1980s, the federal government has been cutting back funding to
communities for water infrastructure, with assistance falling to historic lows under
the Bush administration. At the same time, many of our nation’s water systems that
were built in the early 20th century are reaching the end of their lifespan. Without
dedicated federal funding, communities simply cannot afford to make the necessary
repairs to pipes and water systems that keep our waters clean and safe. This lack of
investment in communities’ water infrastructure poses a danger to the environment
and threatens the safety of our water for future generations.

The campaign to Renew America’s Water will create a
dedicated source of federal funding, which will improve
water quality, protect the environment, create good jobs
and ensure safe, reliable water for generations to come.
Reliable Access to Safe Water Is
Threatened
Oregon’s drinking water and sewer infrastructure needs
dramatically outpace available funding. According to
Oregon’s latest project priority list for the Drinking Water
State Revolving Fund (SRF) program, the state’s public
water systems need $44 million to keep our water safe.1
In 2010, the state’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund
program, which provides low-interest loans and grants to
maintain safe drinking water, received $13.6 million in
federal funding — enough to finance only 31 percent of
what is needed.2
Oregon’s publicly owned wastewater systems need
$456 million to protect water quality and public health.3
In 2010, the state’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund
program, which goes toward wastewater infrastructure,
received $23 million in federal funding — enough to
finance 5 percent of what is needed.4
As a result, even after state contributions, State Revolving
Funds fall $455 million short of what is needed to maintain
Oregon’s water and sewer systems, leaving local govern-
ments with much of the financial burden. Additional fund-
ing is necessary to maintain and improve the state’s water
quality. We need to act now to Renew America’s Water and
close this funding gap.
Protecting Our Beaches, Rivers and
Lakes
Aging water infrastructure does more than threaten our
future access to reliable drinking water — it also harms the
environment in our communities. Aging sewer pipes can
burst and spill untreated waste into our rivers, lakes and
streams. This is a problem in communities across the state.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s
Oregon 2006 Water Quality Assessment Report, 67 percent
of the state’s river miles, 97 percent of its lake waters, and
80 percent of the coastal shoreline assessed were impaired
and too polluted to support their designated uses.5
Sewage overflows and stormwater runoff can also cause
waters to be unfit for recreational use. Oregon had 26
closures and advisories at beaches in 2008.6 In addition,
analysis of beach monitoring data showed that 5 percent
of samples in Oregon exceeded national health standards.
In other words, the contamination could make beachgoers
sick.7
Furthermore, leaks in our aging pipes lose water, even in
parts of the country facing water shortages. According to
the U.S. Geological Survey, 1.7 trillion gallons of water are
lost from distribution to consumer taps — equivalent to
one out of every five gallons of drinking water.8
Increased investment in water and sewer systems will bet-
ter protect our rivers, lakes, bays and beaches and reduce
loss of treated drinking water through leaky pipes.
Creating Quality Jobs and Investing in
Our Future
Renewing America’s Water will not just provide universal
access to water and an improved environment — it will
also create hundreds of thousands of quality jobs at a time
when our communities need it most. Oregon’s unemploy-
ment rate continues to hover around 10.5 percent with
206,300 people out of work.9
According to the National Utility Contractors Association,
for every $1 billion spent on water infrastructure, nearly
27,000 jobs are created.10 Fully addressing the state’s
annual water funding shortfall would generate 12,142
employment opportunities not only in the water sector
but throughout the local economies that benefit from the
increased employment. Therefore, every federal dollar in-
vested in infrastructure yields a $1.59 return to our states.11
That could put one out of every 17 unemployed people in
the state back to work.12 Water and sewer infrastructure
jobs are typically filled locally, and investing now in water
and sewer systems can generate solid economic growth
and bring jobs into our communities.
Fixing Water Infrastructure in Schools
Schools across Oregon have outdated water pipes and
drinking fountains that have fallen into disrepair. As a
result, children do not have access to safe drinking water
at school. Currently, there is no federal funding devoted to
updating and repairing drinking water systems in schools.
The campaign to Renew America’s Water would provide
grants to schools to make the repairs needed to provide
safe, affordable tap water to students.
It’s Time to Renew America’s Water
To Renew America’s Water, we need a comprehensive,
long-term solution that fully funds our water infrastruc-
ture needs. Funds must be dedicated for this purpose and
protected from yearly political decisions. Legislation to
Renew America’s Water must include funds to assist rural
and low-income communities, help large municipalities
and provide grants to improve water access in our public
schools. Such an investment would relieve overburdened
state and municipal governments, create hundreds of thou-
sands of good jobs, and ensure universal access to clean
drinking water for generations to come.
Take Action
Get involved in the campaign to Renew America’s Water.
Visit us at www.foodandwaterwatch.org/renew to:
• Sign the petition and endorse the campaign
• Join our team of activists who blog or write letters to
the editor about the campaign
• Host a house party movie screening about our water
needs
• Find out more ways to get involved
Endnotes
1 Oregon Department of Human Services. “Summary Proposed In-
tended Use Plan – State Fiscal Year 2010.” June 4, 2010.
2 United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water.
“Distribution of Drinking Water SRF Appropriation. 2010 DWSRF
Allotment based on 2007 SWINSA Results.” January 15, 2010.
3 State of Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. “Clean Water
State Revolving Fund Loan Program Proposed Intended Use Plan –
State Fiscal Year 2010/Update #2.” May 6, 2010.
4 FY 2010 Clean Water State Revolving Fund Title VI Allotments. Janu-
ary 15, 2010.
5 United States Environmental Protection Agency, Watershed As-
sessment, Tracking & Environmental Results. “Oregon 2006 Water
Quality Assessment Report Assessed Waters of Oregon by Water-
shed.” Available at: http://iaspub.epa.gov/waters10/attains_index.
control?p_area=OR
6 Dorfman, Mark and Kristen Sinclair Rosselot. National Resources
Defense Council “Testing the Waters 2009: A Guide to Water Qual-
ity at Vacation Beaches.” National Resources Defense Council. 2009
at OR.5.
7 Dorfman, Mark and Kristen Sinclair Rosselot. National Resources
Defense Council “Testing the Waters 2009: A Guide to Water Qual-
ity at Vacation Beaches.” National Resources Defense Council. 2009
at OR.1.
8 US Environmental Protection Agency. Water Research Adaptation
Program: Research Areas. Available at: http://www.epa.gov/nrmrl/
wswrd/wqm/wrap/research.html.
9 United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Economy at a Glance: Oregon. Available at: http://www.bls.gov/eag/
eag.or.htm
10 National Utility Contractors Association. [Press Release]. “New
CWC Report Demonstrates Immediate Economic Impact of Water/
Wastewater Infrastructure Investment?” January 28, 2009.
11 Schwartz, Bernard L. and Schwenninger, Sherle R. “A Public Infra-
structure–-Led Economic Recovery Program.” December 4, 2008;
Zandi, Mark. Chief economist and co-founder, Moody’s Economy.
com. Testimony on Economic Stimulus For Small Business: A Look
Back and Assessing Need For Additional Relief. U.S. House Commit-
tee on Small Business. July 24, 2008.
12 Food & Water Watch Calculation: 26,669 x 0.4553= 12,142;
12,142/206,300 = 5.89% or 1 in 17
For more information:
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Copyright © August 2010 Food & Water Watch