Future of water infrastructure depends on adaptive management

A water industry firm based in Houston has estimated $400 billion is needed for the country's water management infrastructure.

Contributing factors for the infrastructure improvement needs are aging infrastructure, population growth, legislative and legal developments, according to the analysis published by Houston's Water Details LLC. Financing shortfalls could hold back some of the investment dollars needed over the next 10 years to replace and add to the country's aging water-related infrastructure.

"It is clear that a major point of emphasis in the coming years among industry participants and the general public will be on financing schemes for this level of investment as well as ways to smartly implement infrastructure improvements," Water Details analyst Arturo Reyes said in a press release.

"While we anticipate economic barriers to the development of infrastructure projects such as pushback from water users due to the prospect of rising water bills, the industry appears ready to find new strategies through collaboration and innovative resource management and project design, a necessity in regions with greater resource stress," Reyes said.

Water Details LLC has planned a conference on water resources set for Aug. 16. The event will focus on ways to effectively manage resource volumes, and discussions will include legal, construction project considerations, national and municipality experience as well as water resource management.

To learn more about the conference visit www.waterdetails.com.