WATER

Renew America’s Water

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

V ermont’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
Vermont’s drinking water and sewer infrastructure needs
dramatically outpace available funding. According to
Vermont’s latest project priority list for the Drinking Water
State Revolving Fund (SRF) program, the state’s public
water systems need $58.7 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 $8.2 million in fed-
eral funding — enough to finance only 14 percent of what
is needed.2
Vermont’s publicly owned wastewater systems need
$347.8 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 $10.1 million in federal funding — enough to
finance 3 percent of what is needed.4
As a result, even after state contributions, State Revolv-
ing Funds fall $384.5 million short of what is needed to
maintain Vermont’s water and sewer systems, leaving local
governments with much of the financial burden. Additional
funding 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
Vermont 2008 Water Quality Assessment Report, 7 percent
of the state’s rivers and streams and 86 percent of its lakes,
reservoirs and ponds assessed were impaired and too pol-
luted to support their designated uses.5
Sewage overflows and stormwater runoff can also cause
waters to be unfit for recreational use. In the most recent
monthly sewage overflow report from the Vermont Depart-
ment of Environmental Conservation, over 565,113 gallons
of untreated sewage and 95,000 gallons of undisinfected
effluent spilled into Vermont’s creeks, rivers and lakes in
just one month.6 Beaches in the neighboring states of New
Hampshire, Massachusetts and New York respectively had
seven, 582 and 964 closures and advisories in 2009.7 In
addition, analysis of beach monitoring data showed that
up to 11 percent of samples on these beaches exceeded
national health standards.8 In other words, the contamina-
tion could make beachgoers sick.
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.9
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. Vermont’s unemploy-
ment rate continues to hover around 6 percent with 21,300
people out of work.10
According to the National Utility Contractors Association,
for every $1 billion spent on water infrastructure, between
20,003 and 26,669 jobs are created.11 Fully addressing
the state’s annual water funding shortfall would generate
10,225 employment opportunities, not only in the water
sector but throughout the local economies that benefit
from the increased employment. Therefore, every federal
dollar invested in infrastructure yields a $1.59 return to our
states.12 That could put nearly one out of every two unem-
ployed people in the state back to work.13 Water and sewer
infrastructure jobs are typically filled locally, and investing
now in water and sewer systems can generate solid eco-
nomic growth and bring jobs into our communities.
Fixing Water Infrastructure in Schools
Schools across Vermont 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 Water Supply Division, Department of Environmental Conservation. “State
of Vermont Intended Use Plan for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund
Federal Fiscal Year 2009.” May 20, 2010.
2 Office of Water, United States Environmental Protection Agency. “Distribution
(State Allotment) of Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Appropriation for
Fiscal Year 2009.” April 1, 2010.
3 Facilities Engineering Division, Department of Environmental Conservation,
Agency of Natural Resources. “Municipal Pollution Control Projects Priority
List for State FY 2010 and Clean Water Intended Use Plan for Federal FY
2009.” December 8, 2009.
4 Office of Water, United States Environmental Protection Agency. “FY 2010
Enacted Final CWSRF Allotments.” January 15, 2010.
5 United States Environmental Protection Agency, Watershed Assessment, Track-
ing & Environmental Results. “Vermont 2008 Water Quality Assessment Report
Assessed Waters of Vermont by Watershed.” Available at: http://iaspub.epa.gov/
waters10/attains_index.control?p_area=VT, accessed October 18, 2010.
6 Wastewater Management Division, Vermont Department of Environmental
Conservation, Agency of Natural Resources. “Sewage overflows reported
within the past month.” October 6, 2010.
7 Dorfman, Mark and Kristen Sinclair Rosselot. National Resources Defense
Council “Testing the Waters 2010: A Guide to Water Quality at Vacation
Beaches.” National Resources Defense Council. 2010 at NH.2.; Dorfman,
Mark and Kristen Sinclair Rosselot. National Resources Defense Council “Test-
ing the Waters 2010: A Guide to Water Quality at Vacation Beaches.” National
Resources Defense Council. 2010 at MA.2.; Dorfman, Mark and Kristen Sin-
clair Rosselot. National Resources Defense Council “Testing the Waters 2010:
A Guide to Water Quality at Vacation Beaches.” National Resources Defense
Council. 2010 at NY.3.
8 Dorfman, Mark and Kristen Sinclair Rosselot. National Resources Defense
Council “Testing the Waters 2010: A Guide to Water Quality at Vacation
Beaches.” National Resources Defense Council. 2010 at NY.1.
9 US Environmental Protection Agency. Water Research Adaptation Program:
Research Areas. Available at: http://www.epa.gov/nrmrl/wswrd/wqm/wrap/
research.html, accessed October 18, 2010
10 Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States Department of Labor. Economy at
a Glance: Vermont. Available at: http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/print.pl/eag/eag.
vt.htm, accessed September 30, 2010.
11 PA Consulting Group. Clean Water Council. “Sudden impact: An assessment
of short-term economic impacts of water and wastewater construction projects
in the United States.” June 8, 2009 at 6.
12 Schwartz, Bernard L. and Schwenninger, Sherle R. “A Public Infrastructure–
-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 Committee on Small Business. July 24, 2008.
13 Food & Water Watch Calculation: 26,669 x .38453 = 10,255; 10,255/21,300
= 48.15% or nearly 1 in 2
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Copyright © October 2010 Food & Water Watch