Water sector officials were disappointed the final $9.9-billion water resources package that passed the House on Dec. 7 included so little for water utilities. Kristina Surfus, managing director of government affairs for the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, says an analysis by her organization estimated utilities could lose as much as $16.3 billion over one year because of COVID-19 impacts. The effects range from decreased use of sewer systems in commercial or industrial areas to an increasing number of households unable to pay their monthly bills. That could have a direct effect at utilities, not only on staffing, but also on infrastructure projects, Surfus says.
“Some utilities are going to be in this very difficult position of not being able to make some of the [infrastructure] investments they were hoping to make…and some utilities that had planned rate increases are going to have to go back and reconsider that,” she says.