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INFORME
ANALÍTICO
ÍNDICE
The present Analytical Country Report prepared for the United States of America and the sustaining questionnaire are part of a global exercise which is being conducted jointly by the World Health Organization, and the United Nations Children’s Fund, to asses the status of the provision of drinking water supply and sanitation services in the world. The findings of this exercise will set out in a report of the United Nations which will be of great relevance to policy-and decision-making at global, regional and country levels. The Pan American Health Organization prepared this material with the active participation of representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the American Water Works Association, and the Water and Environment Federation. The Census Bureau and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also collaborated.
Progress made through the years in the provision of safe water supply and wastewater services in the US goes back to 1893 when regulations governing drinking water quality were adopted as US Congress enacted the Interstate Quarantine Act. In 1914, the first federal drinking water standards were adopted, by 1962 the standards were most comprehensive covering 28 constituents. In 1969, a comprehensive survey of water supplies in the country known as he Community Water Supply Survey, (CWSS), was conducted to determine whether the consumer’s drinking water met the 1962 standards. Although the water served to the majority of the population was safe, the survey indicated that several million people were being supplied water of an inadequate quality. These events lead to the passage of the Safe Drinking Water Act, (SDWA), in December 1974, as a cooperative program among local, state and federal agencies requiring the establishment of primary drinking water regulations designed to ensure safe drinking water for consumers served by all public systems in the country. To strengthen the process, Congress amended most of the original 1974 SDWA in 1986. Since then, a threefold increase in the number of contaminants regulated by EPA has occurred. Another important step taken to improve the quality of water was the passing of the federal Clean Water Act, (CWA). This Act enacted in 1972 as the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, establishes a national program to restore and maintain the quality of the nation’s waters. The CWA authorized states to establish water quality standards that are translated into permit limits issued to municipal and industrial discharges.
The provision of drinking water and wastewater services in the US is a decentralized function. Local governments have the responsibility of planning, financing, constructing, managing, operating, maintaining, and collecting revenues. Federal and state governments have the responsibility for regulation and enforcement, as well as providing supportive roles including financing. Institutions such as the AWWA and WEF provide relevant contributions to sector work. Given the large amounts of money needed for investment in drinking water and wastewater works, public-private partnerships is viewed as a way to take advantage of private sector resources.
The census provides the official information on water and sanitation services in the country. The last national census was held in 1990. In between census, the Census Bureau conducts surveys in selected topics as was the case of the 1997 American Housing Survey with information on water and sanitation. Coverage with said services in the country has been at 100 percent of the population through out the last decades, even though there are small pockets of rural population in isolated places with inappropriate services. According to the 1995 Community Water System Survey, (CWS), there are more than 180,000 water systems in the US serving over 250 million people. Included in this estimate are 50,289 community water systems, 23,639 non-transient non-community water systems, and 106,436 transient non-community water systems. This explains that the vast majority of systems are small and privately owned, but certainly most of the population is customers of large publicly owned systems.
The Safe Drinking Water Act as amended in 1996, mandates that annually, states prepare public water systems compliance reports. Some of the most notable findings of the 1997 Compliance Report indicate that ninety five percent of the nation’s public water systems reported no violations of any health-based drinking water standards, most violations of drinking water standards occurred at small systems. Community and non-community drinking water supplies are reliable and safe in all of the systems regulated by SDWA. All service is continuous 24 hours a day every day of the year with no interruptions other than those due to normal maintenance or accidents. Sewerage systems also are reliable and perform well.
In 1995, EPA sponsored a Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey oriented to project funding needs for the nation. According to the survey, the nation’s 55,000 community water systems need to invest a minimum of $138.4 billion over the next 20 years which was considered a conservative estimate. In 1998, AWWA sponsored an assessment to examine long-term infrastructure requirements for US water utilities within a 20-year planning horizon. This assessment estimates capital needs of US water utilities at $325 billion which is roughly 3.9 times the estimate generated by EPA (in 1998 dollars). The cost of clean water infrastructure will also demand large investments. In 1996, EPA estimated that $139.5 billion would be required to fund municipal treatment works and other related needs over the next 20 years. In 1999 EPA revised its 1996 needs estimate for sanitary sewer overflows, increasing total needs to nearly $200 billion, at the same time American cities with WEF and AMSA estimated that the cost of new facilities plus the costs to replace aging treatment and collecting systems would be at a level of $330 billion over the same number years. In the US, water rates are the primary mechanism by which customers are charged for service. The Refelis Environmental Consulting Group’s 1998 Water and Wastewater Rate Survey showed the average water rate for 5/8 inch meter 1,000 cubic feet service per month was $16.50 for all systems and the corresponding average sewer service was $18.93.
As seen, throughout the years the US has been able to adopt sound strategies that have molded sector success. Core to this has been the concerns about disease and public health and the importance of safe drinking water supply and wastewater services for the entire population. Community participation, and Government involvement in sector work through a coordinated action among the three levels has been also transcendental in achieving progress. In the US no major constraints are categorized which may hinder sector development other than a moderate constrain in funding.
Sector investments specially those made through the implementation of the SDWA and the CWA and efforts of federal, state and local governments have reaped enormous economic and environmental returns to the country. Health benefits accrued have been very important, for over half a century, communicable diseases transmitted by water have had diminished importance in the health status of the population. The recreation and tourism industry is the second largest employer in the nation. Each year, Americans take more than 1.8 billion trips to water destinations, largely for recreation, spending money and creating jobs in the process. Americans, who depend on clean water, spend roughly $24 billion annually on their sport, generating $69 billion for the nation’s economy. The commercial fish and shellfish industry contributes $45 billion to the economy. This industry relies on clean water to sustain fisheries and deliver products that are safe to eat. Farmers use clean water to irrigate about 15 percent of American farmlands to grow essential food and fiber. Crops grown on irrigated lands are valued at nearly $70 billion a year. Construction of wastewater facilities is among the highest generators of jobs for all infrastructure categories. Each $1 billion in sewer improvements generates over 57,000 direct and indirect jobs.
The provision of safe water supply and wastewater services will continue to be of priority concern in the US. Present regulatory base adopted as well as those national strategies that have prove to be so effective will continue to guide sector work. Population growth trends are well defined, nevertheless health and environmental requirements are anticipated to be more demanding requiring larger investments. Meeting more strict regulatory demands will increase costs that will be passed to consumers. Local governments are becoming more focused on the benefits of privatization at the same time that the private sector is anxious to expand markets and revenues, researches conclude that the nation’s big cities will increasingly turn to privatization.
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