The Greening of Wastewater Infrastructure: "The recent inclusion of funding for incorporating green infrastructure into local, state, and Federal projects paves the way towards building more sustainable and healthier environments....".

• Author: Evangelista, Christopher
• Position: EYE ON ECOLOGY

THE INTERSECTION of climate change and aging wastewater systems presents a significant set of challenges for municipalities across the U.S. Given that much of this infrastructure is at or nearing the end of its life span and there are further projected increases in precipitation, many cities and towns continue to grapple with the recurrent flooding of neighborhoods and the outflow of untreated wastewater into local waterways. In the face of these challenges and the need to make costly repairs or replace current systems, more localities are beginning to turn to green infrastructure as a way to complement their current systems and future projects, particularly as recent historic levels of Federal funding for infrastructure through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act makes more such projects possible.

Green infrastructure is an approach and set of practices for water management that, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, "are designed to mimic the natural ways water flows over and absorbs into land to reduce stormwater pollution."

The American Society for Civil Engineers' 2021 Infrastructure Report Card graded the nation's wastewater infrastructure as D+. This infrastructure includes more than 16,000 wastewater treatment facilities and 800,000 miles of public sewers. ASCE notes that, while there has been increased investment in such infrastructure in recent decades, investment generally has slowed, leaving a growing gap. More specifically, "in 2019, the total capital spending on water infrastructure at all levels was approximately $48,000,000,000, while capital investment needs were $129,000,000,000, creating an $81,000,000,000 gap.... Assuming the water and wastewater sectors continue along the same path, the total gap will grow to more than $434,000,000,000 by 2029." The EPA likewise has estimated that the investment required to bring the nation's wastewater and drinking water infrastructure into compliance with Federal regulations and goals exceeds $744,000,000,000 over a 20-year period.

At the same time that these systems are in need of repair, they are being further tested by the impacts of climate change. For instance, the city of Maumee, Ohio, a suburb of Toledo, reported to the EPA that its sewage system is unable to accommodate the rise in rainfall. One city official estimated that "as much as 150,000,000 gallons of untreated water may have been discharged each year into the [Maumee] [R]iver." The cost of required...