Having safe drinking water is an important debate that is going on in this country. An issue that is being questioned is whether or not the government is putting enough effort into keeping America’s drinking water safe. Adrian Moore and Tom Neltner (two professionals familiar with the issue) wrote their opinions on the subject for CQ Researcher in 2016. One agrees that the government is not putting enough effort while the other believes the opposite.
In response to the debate on whether or not the government is putting enough effort in America’s drinking water, Moore states that they are. Because Congress is beginning to fund local projects, several bad things are starting to happen. The US Congress …show more content…
Americans expect safe and affordable drinking water that is delivered to their homes on demand. Unfortunately, our water infrastructure suffers from a problem. Although we build these devices, we often fail to maintain them. Neltner states that we need a smarter investment, stricter oversight, regular coordination and more public transparency to ensure that safe drinking water is provided. According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2011 Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey, the nation’s aging water infrastructure needs about $400 billion in capital improvements over the next 20 years (as referenced in Neltner, 2016, p. 593). That amount is a dozen times more money than the federal government has invested in drinking water since 1997. Despite the fact that the burden for these upgrades rests with the local utility and its customers, Congress needs to do more to improve America’s drinking water. This is important in areas where the customers are likely to be unable to cover the costs of the loans. The government needs to work together to create alternative funding for these necessary improvements. State water officials and utilities need a reliable federal partner. The EPA needs to provide more guidance to the state and local partners. In conclusion, there needs to be an honest and open dialogue regarding the state of our nation’s water infrastructure. By working together and committing to investing additional capital and updating old policies, we can keep our country's’ water