Investing in Great Lakes water infrastructure will help Ohio thrive and pay equity

CHICAGO — Recently, we’ve heard a lot of discussion from politicians and pundits about America’s aging infrastructure. When people think of this topic, the first things that come to mind are building bridges and repairing roads. But we also need to talk about our water infrastructure — lead service lines harming our children, failing drinking water systems, and sewage overflows from crumbling wastewater systems pouring into our rivers and lakes and backing up into basements. The debates in Washington have the potential to impact the lives of millions of Ohioans.

Unfortunately, like the rest of our nation’s infrastructure, the United States’ drinking and wastewater infrastructure is desperately in need of updates and repair. The American Society of Civil Engineers just gave our nation’s drinking water system a “C-” and said that much of our drinking water infrastructure is nearing the end of its useful life. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that up to $188 billion will be needed over the next 20 years to upgrade our water infrastructure in the Great Lakes states alone.

Research from the Alliance for the Great Lakes and the Ohio Environmental Council found that the burden of rising water costs is disproportionately felt in Ohio’s communities of color and rural communities with a small rate base, resulting in the inability to fix infrastructure problems.

The Plain Dealer spotlighted this issue in 2019 in profiling the experiences of a 54-year-old mother of two who, following the loss of her full-time job, was struggling to pay water and sewer rates that had more than doubled in the past ten years.

And Lima Mayor David Berger said in 2021 testimony to Congress that smaller communities such as his are being forced to price “water and sewer services out of the range of many poor and middle-income families. … That is not sustainable.”

Everyone in this water-rich Great Lakes region should have access to safe and affordable clean water. Anything less is unacceptable.

Thankfully, recent infrastructure proposals in President Joe Biden’s American Jobs Act include nationwide lead-pipe replacement and the modernization of America’s drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure. Congress also has pending legislation to address these challenges.

Ohio’s congressional delegation includes Great Lakes champions on both sides of the aisle, including Democrats like Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Toledo and Sen. Sherrod Brown of Cleveland and Republicans like Rep. David Joyce of Bainbridge Township and Sen. Rob Portman of the Cincinnati area.

Biden’s new Housing and Urban Development Secretary, former U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge of Warrensville Heights, also brings experience with her work to propose a Low Income Sewer and Water Assistance Program in 2016 and again in 2019.

These Ohioans are strong supporters of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. We are counting on them to apply the same resolve to securing investments for water infrastructure.

Ohio’s leadership is critical if we want to advance our Great Lakes federal priorities, such as increased funding for state and local governments to repair and replace drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. We must set aside funding to support infrastructure needs in financially distressed communities and use nature-based solutions to help all communities adapt to climate change. Any legislation must also work to reverse present inequities that prevent communities from accessing clean drinking water. Programs should be designed to include community voices to ensure they are meeting the needs of those most impacted.

The restoration and protection of the Great Lakes has been phenomenally successful over the last decade, but some people and places are still being left behind. The longer we wait to solve these problems, the greater the burden passed on to taxpayers. Investing in Ohio’s water infrastructure is a win-win, leading to jobs as well as major environmental and public health benefits. By supporting investments in Great Lakes water infrastructure, Ohio’s congressional delegation can help ensure that water is safe, clean and affordable for all Ohioans.

Joel Brammeier is president and CEO of the Alliance for the Great Lakes based in Chicago. This was written for The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com.

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