A Bold New Idea Could Change How We Manage Water

This week the Aspen Institute released a groundbreaking report that should help transform the way America looks at our water system.

When most people hear the term "water infrastructure," they tend to think of pipes, drains, and maybe a water main or two. But thanks to this new report, additional images may soon leap to mind: the wetlands, grassy plains, and other natural systems that are now being recognized as the most cost-effective way to recycle and filter our water.

This is a bold new idea, and that was the goal of the Aspen Institute's Dialogue on Sustainable Water Infrastructure--to look at the big picture, long-term needs of our water resources and envision new ways of managing them. 

I was fortunate to be a member of the dialogue, along with about 25 other people from various sewer authorities, private water companies, and other environmental groups. We gathered for four workshops and had the chance to rethink traditional approaches to water.

You see, we have been working on a pretty old model for the past several decades. For sewage treatment is goes like this: transport the sewage to a treatment plant, treat it, and discharge it into a waterway. For stormwater, it is about putting the dirty water in pipes and getting it off the land as quickly as possible. Anything outside of that loop--say, the nearby wetlands that might have helped filter the stormwater--wasn't often considered as a useful tool.

If you went to a conference of sewer authorities or wastewater operators--as I have done many times--most of the discussions have focused around particular, day-to-day problems: how do we detect leaking pipes? What is the best way to biologically remove nutrients from treatment plants?   

The Aspen Dialogue and the accompanying report offer a chance to step back and think about what makes water infrastructure sustainable in the long run--both environmentally and economically.

When we looked at infrastructure on these terms, it became clear that the natural systems that nurture and sustain our water must be included in water planning. These include soil, vegetation, and even the water cycle itself, so that groundwater and surface water supplies are replenished as we use them.

And another bold idea follows from that conclusion: preserving these wetlands and forests is not only in the interest fish and wildlife, but also in the interest of people. We need these ecosystems to remain healthy so they can keep the water we drink and swim in healthy.

Local water authorities will be responsible for using these new approaches, but we agreed that the federal government also has a role to play. It can set minimum standards s that wherever you go in the United States, you'll know that you can drink the tap water, swim in the lakes and beaches, and eat the fish without getting sick.

The federal government can also encourage innovation--which is much needed considering the last wave of water treatment innovations occurred over 20 years ago. And the federal government can help low-income communities pay for these new approaches.

Funding new ways of doing things is always a challenge, and it became a contested issue at the Aspen Dialogue. NRDC supports the trust fund idea that was recently introduced in the House in the Water Protection and Reinvestment Act. The bill would help cities invest not only in existing infrastructure, but also in long-term solutions such as green infrastructure and water conservation and reuse.

It is my hope that both the Aspen report and the legislation will inspire water managers across the country--from city sustainability offices to global warming adaptation initiatives--to start including natural systems in their infrastructure planning.

And I hope they do it soon, because our waterways are in urgent need of help. Just yesterday, NRDC released our annual Testing the Waters report of beach closures. And with more than 20,000 days last year when beaches deemed unhealthy for swimming--largely due to sewage and stormwater overflows--it is clear our nation needs to a new vision for managing our water resources.