Experts raise red flag after report shows nationwide issue neglected for decades: 'Could be catastrophic'

The 2025 Infrastructure Report Card from the American Society of Civil Engineers highlighted challenges facing the aging water infrastructure in the United States.

What's happening?

The report card, released by the ASCE in March, grades a variety of infrastructure on an A to F scale. According to the report, drinking water scored a C-, as did inland waterways, while stormwater and wastewater received a D and D+, respectively.

To improve these scores, utility companies need significantly more money. The issue is, as reported by McKinsey and Co., that "private and public water and wastewater utilities are underfunded" and "rising user costs (including for citizens) have been unable to close the funding gap."

Why is the report important?

These scores highlight the need for more work and funding to be funneled into the water, which is deeply affected by fluctuations in average annual temperatures as well as by contaminants. Specifically, PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, in the water call for critical treatment measures. 

According to an article by Construction Dive, "[PFAS] are a group of widely used "forever chemicals" that can pose serious human health and environmental risks." 

The effects of PFAS are everywhere. These toxic chemicals are used in the manufacturing of goods and seep into our water, soil, and air. Furthermore, PFAS have been linked, according to CNN, to "liver damage, thyroid disease, decreased fertility, high cholesterol, obesity, hormone suppression and cancer."

What's being done about the low scores?

With these facts in the face of experts, the need to act is apparent. 

"Although water utilities did not create these challenges, they must not fail to provide solutions," McKinsey and Co. said. "If they do, the consequences for communities could be catastrophic." 

While the existing ways water systems function may need to be redesigned with modern issues, such as water stress, accounted for within them, government leaders have the information needed to make important adjustments. For instance, Construction Dive states, "Establishment of a nationwide database for stormwater assets would help." 

On top of optimizing information, the ASCE reports that about 30% of utility companies are using asset failure prediction technologies, which can locate major issues before they have the opportunity to occur.

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It will be a long road to clean water, and support will be needed from governmental agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency, which is facing funding and grant cuts as well as regulatory rollbacks regarding PFAS contamination. But with the right data and planning, improvements can still be made. 

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