NUCA Warns of Cuts to America’s Water Infrastructure Programs
The National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA) issued the following statement by NUCA Vice President of Government Affairs Zack Perconti on the House Appropriations Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee’s FY2026 appropriations bill markup held this morning:
“Congress is once again playing politics with our nation’s public health and America’s clean drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater systems. Our industry’s projects are the foundation for building healthy, vibrant communities and a strong economy. While these cuts are less than those previously suggested, any cuts to water infrastructure spending are a mistake we literally cannot afford to make.
“America’s water and wastewater systems are already deficient, and the best hope Congress offered to voters to repair these aging systems was found in the 2021 infrastructure bill. But this was only a good first step in undoing decades of neglected infrastructure investment. The roughly 26 and 20 percent funding cuts to the EPA’s Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (SRF) in this FY2026 bill, respectively, are counterproductive to building and repairing our nation’s water and wastewater infrastructure.
“Congress has compounded the problem by earmarking nearly half the remaining funding. While helpful for individual communities, this effectively further cuts available SRF resources by removing dollars from the revolving loan pool and undermines the long-term health of critical infrastructure programs used by all 50 U.S. states, territories, tribal governments, and the District of Columbia for water projects.
“Our nation’s 20-year drinking water infrastructure need is estimated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through their latest DWINSA report to be $625 billion. That’s a 32% increase over the last report, which foresaw a $472.6 billion need over the same time frame. The latest EPA estimate for clean water needs is no better, showing a 20-year estimate of over $630 billion. Taken together, these amount to more than $1.2 trillion in water infrastructure needs over the coming decades – and the longer we wait to address these needs, the more they will grow.
“Water and wastewater infrastructure are the arteries keeping American families healthy. Besides the job creation and economic growth these programs help generate, these new or repaired systems will for many decades ahead provide clean drinking water and sanitary wastewater removal from millions of American homes and businesses, keep our outdoor environments safe and healthy, and provide businesses with the utility services need to grow and thrive.
“Nothing is more fundamental for human life than safe, clean water. NUCA strongly urges that the House Appropriations Committee fully funds our nation’s water infrastructure needs and build on the commitments that Washington has made to restore and rebuild our nation’s water and wastewater infrastructure.”
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