Bryn Mawr, Pa.-based Aqua America Inc. recognized the seventh annual Infrastructure Week (May 5-12) by helping raise awareness of the critical state of infrastructure across the United States. A leading contributor to water and wastewater infrastructure repair and replacement, Aqua plans to invest more than $500 million this year across eight states to improve systems.
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| Aqua America has invested $1.5 billion in enterprise-wide infrastructure improvements over the past five years, including hundreds of miles of pipe replacement and treatment plant upgrades. The second largest publicly traded water utility based in the U.S., it serves more than 3 million customers in Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, Illinois, Texas, New Jersey, Indiana and Virginia. |
“As one of the largest water and wastewater utilities in the country, Aqua is committed to thoughtful and continuous investment in the infrastructure that delivers service to our customers safely and reliably,” says Chairman Christopher Franklin. “We strongly believe capital investments from private utility companies can be a large part of the solution to the country’s infrastructure problems. Infrastructure Week is an excellent opportunity to showcase how our team’s work improves the lives of our customers.”
The dire state of water infrastructure in the U.S. has been well documented. In a recent study published by Utah State University, researchers found water main break rates have increased 27 percent in the past six years alone. The Environmental Protection Agency also reports that there are approximately 240,000 water main breaks per year in the U.S., with approximately $2.6 billion lost as water mains leak trillions of gallons of treated drinking water. These statistics quantify the need for increased investment in the nation’s water infrastructure and underscore Aqua commitments.
Through Aqua’s $1 billion investment in infrastructure in southeast Pennsylvania between 2000 and 2015, customers have seen a reduction from nearly 25 main breaks per 100 miles of pipe, to fewer than 10 main breaks per 100 miles of pipe.