{"id":5229,"date":"2023-04-21T23:05:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-22T03:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wradrb.org\/?post_type=wra_resources&p=5229"},"modified":"2024-02-18T11:10:59","modified_gmt":"2024-02-18T16:10:59","slug":"water-systems-in-southeastern-pennsylvania-face-challenges-in-accessing-public-funds-for-infrastructure","status":"publish","type":"wra_resources","link":"https:\/\/www.wradrb.org\/resource\/water-systems-in-southeastern-pennsylvania-face-challenges-in-accessing-public-funds-for-infrastructure\/","title":{"rendered":"Water Systems in Southeastern Pennsylvania Face Challenges in Accessing Public Funds for Infrastructure"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Water utilities support public health, safety, environmental protection, and economic development so people and nature can thrive. However, much of the nation\u2019s drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure is aging and in need of replacement or upgrades. Inadequate water infrastructure puts lives, livelihoods, and the environment at risk and prevents residents from living healthy and prosperous lives. Addressing these problems requires investment in infrastructure. Water system investment needs are particularly significant in southeastern Pennsylvania, a region characterized by aging infrastructure, fragmented government and utilities, and areas with high concentrations of poverty.  While new federal funding available through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is a significant opportunity to make necessary investments in water infrastructure, a new study finds that water utilities in southeastern Pennsylvania often struggle to access public funds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To learn more about the challenges facing utilities in the region, EPIC and its partners, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Authority, Water Resource Association of the Delaware River Basin, and Southwest Environmental Finance Center conducted 20 interviews with municipal and utility managers. Interviews focused on the challenges in identifying, applying for, securing, and managing funding for water infrastructure. The key findings in our report<\/a>, Funding Improvements to Water Infrastructure \u2013 Reconnaissance Study on Challenges and Opportunities in Southeastern Pennsylvania are summarized below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Key findings:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n