A new report blames systemic racism and disinvestment for the rise in inequities in water infrastructure.
Researchers found that communities of color often bear the greatest burden of inequitable access to clean water infrastructure and have the most severe need for revolving fund resources. When the population of white people increases by 10%, there’s a small increase in the possibility of receiving funds.
“There are a few choices that states make that tend to produce less equitable results,” said Hammer, adding that some areas lacking basic sewage systems don’t qualify for this type of federal funding. Jennifer Sloan Ziegler, vice president for the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Environmental and Water Resource Institute, said many water systems don’t have the resources needed to even apply for the federal funds, such as hiring outside consultants to produce documentation that’s required.
Advocated point to the passage of the Clean Water Act of 1972 as the last transformational investment in water infrastructure. It led to the construction of sewage treatment plants across the country. The federal government provided about 70% of the funds needed to build and upgrade treatment plants. By 1988, the federal government transitioned to a new system in which grants were replaced by subsidized loans from a “revolving fund,” according to the book, Water 4.
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