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The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) released a document titled:

7th Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment (September 2023) (“Report”)

See EPA 810R23001.

The Safe Drinking Water Act requires that EPA conduct a survey and assessment every four years that examines the needs for infrastructure improvements and maintenance at public water systems in the United States. The Report includes data collected by EPA, states, and water systems for calendar year 2021.

EPA is required by the Safe Drinking Water Act to use the Report to develop a formula to distribute Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (“DWSRF”) capitalization grants to states. EPA used information collected in this Report on service line materials to develop a separate allocation formula to distribute DWSRF bipartisan infrastructure law lead service line replacement funds for FY23.

The Report determined that drinking water systems will need $625 billion for pipe replacement, treatment plant upgrades, storage tanks, and other assets to ensure public health, security, economic wellbeing for United States cities, towns, and communities.

Data collected in the Report is stated to show that improvements are primarily required in:

• Distribution and transmission - $420.8 billion to replace or rehabilitate aging or deteriorating pipelines and appurtenances
• Treatment - $106.4 billion to construct, expand, or rehabilitate infrastructure or reduce contamination
• Storage - $55.3 billion to construct, rehabilitate, or cover water storage reservoirs
• Source - $22.9 billion to construct or rehabilitate intake structures and wells, or purchase water rights

Sections of the Report include:

• Traditional State Infrastructure Needs
• State and U.S. territory Lead Service Line Counts
• Workforce Survey Response
• Iron and Steel Construction Materials
• Tribal Water System Traditional Infrastructure Needs
• Appendix A – Process for Developing Service Line Count Estimates
• Appendix B – State-by-State Findings Chart
• Exhibits

The Report included state-by-state findings charts which provide data such as:

• Total need by water system size and by project category representing DWSRF-eligible infrastructure projects necessary over a 20-year period
• Estimated number of service lines by material and by water system size
• Projected service line findings for lead, galvanized, and all other materials with a total number of service lines in the state that fits these three categories (including unknown and unreported service lines that might be lead)

Information for the State of Arkansas is found on page 50 of the Report.

A copy of the Report can be downloaded here.