Conyers, J Rep1

=oops, 2xwaterhttp://www.alternet.org/environment/too-many-us-water-systems-are-falling-apart-heres-solution
e’ve come a long way since 1977. We can access full libraries of information at the click of a button; ride in cars that don’t require drivers and use pocket-sized devices to send electronic mail, listen to music and have groceries delivered right to our front doors. And yet many of our nation’s water systems—utilities that deliver services we take for granted—are falling apart.
The federal government was once a reliable steward of our drinking water and wastewater systems. In 1977 alone it invested almost $17 billion in today’s dollars.
But since then, this support has dried up. In fact, federal funding for our local water utilities has declined a whopping 82 percent per capita since its funding peak in 1977. That year, the federal government spent $76.27 per person on drinking water and wastewater services; by 2014 that support had plummeted to a mere $13.68 per person.
Without these critical dollars, many communities lack the means to modernize and maintain these essential systems. In communities like Detroit and Baltimore, rates have risen to compensate for this funding gap, and many households cannot afford to pay their water service bills. In Flint, Michigan, inadequate funding and outdated infrastructure led to cost-cutting measures that ignited a public health crisis.
These developments have spurred a national conversation about fixing our water infrastructure, but most of the proposed solutions fall short of helping communities modernize their water systems and provide safe, clean, affordable water service for current and future generations.
Nothing short of a renewed federal investment in our nation’s water systems is going to help us meet this challenge.
The real solution is the Water Affordability, Transparency, Equity and Reliability Act (or WATER Act) recently introduced in Congress by Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.). This sweeping new legislation will establish a dedicated, sustainable source of funding to update essential drinking water and sewer systems and replace aging and lead-ridden pipes.==gun control favors d mich