Water Infrastructure

First Step to Restoring Drinking Water for Flint—Coat the Existing Pipes

Gov. Rick Snyder (R-Mich.) announced on Wednesday that the state is working to ensuring safe tap water for Flint residents. While there is no schedule to replace the corroded lead pipes, they are being treated to prevent further lead leaching.

January 30, 2016 - Detroit Free Press

Excessive Lead in Drinking Water Spread to Ohio

Learning from the mishaps shown by state regulatory agencies in Michigan, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency wasted no time in beginning a criminal investigation resulting from reports of concentrations of high lead levels in some Ohio homes.

January 27, 2016 - WFMJ-TV

California's Deferred Road and Bridge Maintenance Balloons to $77 Billion

In his 2015 state of the state address, Gov. Jerry Brown announced his intention to tackle the Golden State's formidable $59 billion road and bridge deficit. A year later, that staggering figure jumped 30 percent to $77 billion.

January 24, 2016 - San Francisco Chronicle

Michigan Governor Finds Himself at Center of Flint Water Crisis

A case is made that Gov. Rick Snyder's handling of the lead-tainted water in Flint, Michigan is analogous to former President George W. Bush's bungling of the crisis resulting after Hurricane Katrina touched-down on the Gulf coast in August 2005.

January 14, 2016 - MSNBC

State of Emergency Declared in Flint Water Crisis

A crisis that stretches back for several months escalated this week, bringing this news of the very bad variety to national attention.

December 16, 2015 - The Washington Post

Water Main

Audit: Dallas Falling Behind as Water Mains Fail

The average water main in Dallas is 42 years old, and the costs of updating the city's water mains are estimated at $55 million a year. The problem: Dallas doesn’t even know where to start.

December 11, 2015 - The Dallas Morning News

Mexico City from the air

A Growing Mexico City Faces Infrastructural Hurdles

As Mexico City continues to add population, issues of sprawl, inequality, and water infrastructure remain challenges in the growing megalopolis.

November 5, 2015 - Inverse

Sacramento - San Joaquin River Delta

California's Bay Delta Explained

As California's drought drags on, the Delta—which provides water to much of the state—has come to symbolize the tension among water users with competing interests. But the strained resource has also prompted ambitious initiatives for sustainability.

October 23, 2015 - VerdeXchange News

Leaky Pipes will Cost Los Angeles at least $1.3 Billion to Fix

The Los Angeles Times offers a broadly ranging, interactive feature on the decrepit state of Los Angeles' water infrastructure.

February 19, 2015 - Los Angeles Times

America's Crumbling Water Infrastructure

The country's aging water infrastructure is growing more wasteful and expensive to fix with every year. What will it take to re-engineer our drinking water supplies?

November 3, 2014 - NPR

How to Solve the Looming Water Crisis

David Sedlak, author of "Water 4.0: The Past, Present, and Future of the World's Most Vital Resource," explains how the deepening obsolescence of our water infrastructure is reaching crisis status.

October 12, 2014 - Vox

Quantifying the Economic and Employment Impacts of Water

The Brookings Institution takes a closer look at the economic and employment impacts that water has on the United States.

September 19, 2014 - Brookings Institution

St. Louis Facing Huge Costs from Aging Water Infrastructure

"The St. Louis region doesn’t face the prospect, as Western states do, of running out of water," according to Jacob Barker. But the region is facing a water problem: "aging infrastructure and capital spending that isn’t keeping up."

August 27, 2014 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

The Texas Miracle: Looking Beyond the Impressive Growth Numbers

Texas is booming—its growth in people and jobs puts it in a league of its own. But another set of growth data pales by comparison: Infrastructure, particularly in the water and transportation needed to accommodate the growth, is woefully lacking.

April 30, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal - U.S. News

Texas’ Drought Prompts Calls for Water Management Improvements

A recent article details the rapid growth, evaporating surface storage capacity, and manicured lawns worsening drought conditions in Texas (no, not California).

April 14, 2014 - Next City

It's Time to Revolutionize America's Water Infrastructure

America’s water infrastructure is behind the times. With over 240,000 water main breaks annually, and only 3.8% of wastewater being reused, the country’s water systems scored a D from the American Society of Civil Engineers on its 2013 report card.

September 15, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Historic Drought Offers Historic Opportunity

Charles Fishman pens an opinion piece for The New York Times arguing that America's worst drought since the 1950s offers "an opportunity to tackle long-ignored water problems and to reimagine how we manage, use and even think about water."

August 19, 2012 - The New York Times

Buying Water by the Baggie in Lagos

In a city where urban water infrastructure ranges from "insufficient" to "nonexistent," Lagos entrepreneurs have developed a bustling trade in "sachet water." Is it time to focus more attention on regulating the sachet industry?

August 10, 2012 - Sustainable Cities Collective

Water Infrastructure Takes Center Stage at House and Senate Hearings

Jason Jordan reports on House and Senate subcommittee hearings this week that focused on water infrastructure concerns and a proposed new program to better address funding and financing options.

March 2, 2012 - APA

Aging Water Infrastructure Carries Huge Costs

With America's water infrastructure graded as a D-minus by the American Society of Civil Engineers, officials are recognizing the need to upgrade the system. A $6 billion infusion by the federal government, though, is just a drop in the bucket.

November 1, 2010 - Infrastructurist

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

Transportation Planner I

KFH Group Inc.

Director, Strategy and Research

Greater Baltimore Committee

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