&EPA
www.epa.gov
AGING WATER INFRASTRUCTURE RESEARCH
SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
Addressing the Challenge
Through SCIENCE and INNOVATION
Office of Research and Development
National Risk Management Research Laboratory
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AGING WATER INFRASTRUCTURE RESEARCH
SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
"An issue we face is deferred maintenance in our [water]
infrastructure, which in too many communities is over-worked and
under-budgeted. Our system is deeply stressed, our financial and our
natural resources are limited and our needs are not negotiable."
"In protecting America's waters today, we have a responsibility to
continue the work that began 40 years ago, and begin new work
that will change the course of the next 40 years and beyond. This is
what we have been doing since taking office, and what we plan on
continuing to do in the months and years ahead."
Statement of Lisa P. Jackson
Administrator
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
October 15, 2010
A National Problem
The U.S. population is increasing and shifting geographically. Communities across the country are facing challenges in making
costly upgrades and repairs to their aging water infrastructure, which includes drinking water and wastewater conveyance
systems and related treatment facilities. This requires investment for new infrastructure in growth areas and also strands
existing infrastructure in areas of decreasing population. Despite this need, investment in research and development has
declined and current practices and techniques may not be sufficient to address emerging issues and potentially stronger
regulatory requirements.
EPA has issued its Clean Water and Drinking Water Infrastructure Sustainability Policy as part of its efforts to promote
sustainable infrastructure within the water sector. Making water infrastructure last longer, while increasing its cost-effectiveness
and sustainability, is essential to protecting human health and the environment, and maintaining safe drinking water and clean
water bodies. This new policy is part of EPA's priority to protect America's waters.
Drinking Water Distribution Systems
There are an estimated 240,000 water main breaks per
year in the United States.
The number of breaks increases substantially near the
end of the system's service life.
- Breaks at a large utility in the Midwest increased
from 250 per year to 2,200 per year during a 19-
year period.
- In 2003, Baltimore, Maryland, reported 1,190 water
main breaksthat's more than three per day.
A 2005 British study correlated self-reported diarrhea
with low water-pressure events (including water main
breaks).
Wastewater Collection Systems
There are up to 75,000 sanitary sewer overflows per year
in the United States, resulting in the discharge of 3-10
billion gallons of untreated wastewater.
There are an estimated 5,500 annual illnesses due to
exposures to contaminated recreational waters.
In 1989, sanitary sewer overflows in Cabool, Missouri,
contaminated drinking water distribution lines, causing
243 cases of diarrhea and 4 deaths.
In 1993, direct contact with a discharge of untreated
sewage in Ocoee, Florida, resulted in 39 cases of
hepatitis A.
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Innovative Research
The Funding Gap
To gain a better understanding of the challenges facing
the nation's drinking water and wastewater utilities, in
September 2002, EPA's Office of Water (OW) published
"The Clean Water and Drinking Water Infrastructure
Gap Analysis" (EPA-816-R-02-02Q), also known as
the "Gap Analysis" report. The report identified several
issues that raised concern as to the ability of utilities
to keep up with their infrastructure needs in the
future. In the report, EPA estimated that if spending
for capital investment and operations and maintenance
remained at current levels, the potential gap in
funding for the years 2000 through 2019 would be
approximately $270 billion for wastewater infrastructure
and $263 billion for drinking water infrastructure.
Understanding the need for research in this area,
EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD)
initiated research projects addressing aging water
infrastructure (AWI). ORD's AWI research supports
OW's larger Sustainable Infrastructure (SI) Initiative.
The SI Initiative is guiding our efforts in changing how
the nation views, values, manages, and invests in its
water infrastructure, and AWI research is supporting
these efforts with innovative science. Both efforts
are bringing together drinking water and wastewater
entities, including utility managers; trade associations;
local watershed protection organizations; and federal,
state, and local officials to ensure that all components
of our nation's water infrastructure are addressed.
A Sustainable Water Infrastructure Tomorrow Means
Fundamental Change Today
To face our nation's aging water infrastructure (AWI) challenges,
EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) has set a goal
to generate the science and engineering needed to improve and
evaluate promising innovative technologies and techniques that
will reduce the cost and improve the effectiveness of operation,
maintenance, and replacement of aging and failing drinking water
and wastewater treatment and conveyance systems. Existing
technologies need to be applied in unconventional ways.
Emerging technologies and innovative thinking will be at the
forefront of creating a powerful, secure, cost-effective, and
reliable water infrastructure.
Research Areas
ORD has identified critical research needs related to the AWI in our
communities. Scientists and engineers work with collaborators and
stakeholders to conduct technology research, development, and
demonstration projects to fill the identified research gaps. Projects
fall into four main research areas:
Condition Assessment In order to assess
the condition of drinking water distribution
and wastewater collection systems, data and
information are gathered through observation,
direct inspection, investigation, and indirect
monitoring and reporting. An analysis of the
data and information helps determine the structural, operational,
and performance status of infrastructure assets. This area also
includes failure analysis to determine the causes of infrastructure
failures and to develop ways to prevent future breakdowns.
System Rehabilitation Because it is not
economically feasible to completely replace all
of our nation's AWI with new infrastructure, the
'~f application of repair, renewal, and replacement
technologies is crucial in order to reinstate
functionality in a drinking water or wastewater
system or subsystem. The proper balance of the repair, renewal,
and replacement depends on the condition assessment, the life-
cycle costs of various rehabilitation options, and the related risk
reductions.
Advanced Concepts Innovation is key to a
sustainable water infrastructure for future
Kg generations. The application and infusion of
innovative infrastructure designs, management
procedures, and operational approaches into an
established system is especially challenging.
Advanced concepts go beyond asset management to include
maximizing the benefits from low-impact development, including
green infrastructure, water reuse, source water protection, and
watershed management.
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Innovative Solutions
Treatment Technologies for Wastewater and
Water Reuse There is a growing demand for
safe and reliable reclaimed wastewater and
stormwater along with dynamic requirements
-^-^ / for improved water quality. For example,
wet-weather flows at wastewater treatment
plants must be managed more effectively in order to reduce
pathogen content. There are new challenges relating to the
capability of Pharmaceuticals and personal care products to
interfere with, and even inhibit, the wastewater treatment
process. Controlling nitrogen and phosphorous is a growing
priority, especially in the basins that drain into the Mississippi
River, the Great Lakes, and the Chesapeake Bay. In Florida,
California, and the arid Southwest, the reuse of reclaimed
wastewater and stormwater is rapidly increasing. There is
accelerated demand for wastewater treatment technologies to
be more energy efficient and to produce smaller volumes of
residuals.
Research Projects
EPA's ability to find solutions to environmental problems
and to communicate the results depends on a talented and
dedicated workforce with diverse expertise and perspectives.
ORD researchers lead and collaborate in a wide range of
water infrastructure research projects, including technology
demonstrations; state-of-the-technology assessments; applied
research; field applications; basic research; and bench-scale,
pilot-scale, and controlled-condition testing. The combined
projects have a broad scope to address all components of our
water infrastructure:
Optimizing repair, rehabilitation, and replacement
Extending the service life of installed drinking water and
wastewater system components
Reducing system failures and their adverse effects on
public health and the environment
Designing systems with low-impact development
components, including green infrastructure, to manage
wet-weather flows
Reducing sewer overflows and backups
Evaluating the performance and cost of innovative
technologies and approaches
Investigating advanced system design and management
concepts
Detecting, locating, and characterizing leaks in drinking
water distribution and wastewater collection systems
Reducing high-risk water main and force main breaks
Outputs and Activities
Research results and outputs will assist drinking water and
wastewater entities to more effectively implement comprehensive
asset management, provide reliable service to their customers,
and meet their Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act
requirements. In addition, the research results will assist EPA's
program and regional offices, states, territories, and tribes in
meeting their programmatic requirements.
Completed and expected outputs and activities include
reports, workshops, site- and full-scale demonstrations,
models and tools, journal articles, and others. ORD has
produced technical reports on condition assessment,
rehabilitation, and advanced system designs, as well as design
guidance on nutrient control at wastewater treatment plants.
Information can be found on EPA's AWI research website.
In the long term, guidance documents will be developed on
asset management, real-time monitoring, new materials,
verification and demonstration of innovative technologies, and
sustainable management and design approaches.
Resources
EPA's Aging Water Infrastructure Research
http://www.epa .gov/awi/
EPA's Sustainable Infrastructure Initiative
http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/sustain/
Water Infrastructure Gap
http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/sustain/infrastructuregap.cfm
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&EPA
www.epa.gov
AGING WATER INFRASTRUCTURE RESEARCH
SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
EPA/600/F-11/0101 July 2011
(This document is a revision of EPA/600/F-07/015)
EPA INVITES YOU TO
PARTICIPATE BY CONTACTING:
The Door Is Open for Collaboration
EPA's AWI research presents opportunities for utilities, technology
developers, vendors, researchers, academia, water associations (trade and
professional), and other agencies and organizations to collaborate. The
success of this research depends on stakeholder involvement, sharing
information and tools, and working together toward the long-term stewardship
of our water infrastructure.
Daniel J. Murray, Jr., P.E.
Coordinator
513-569-7522 murray.dan@epa.gov
Michelle L. Latham
Technical Communications
513-569-7601 latham.rnichelle@epa.gov
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development
National Risk Management Research Laboratory
Water Supply and Water Resources Division
MS 689
Cincinnati, Ohio 45268
www.epa.gov/awi
SEPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
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