Pledge to Save the SRFs

Whereas, public health – the intentional prevention of disease – is the foundation of a productive, growing economy and a high standard of living;

 

Whereas, clean water and safe drinking water are cornerstones of public health;

 

Whereas, clean water saves lives by preventing exposure to dangerous chemicals, harmful contaminants and deadly pathogens;

 

Whereas, safe drinking water is essential for life and prevents deadly and debilitating illnesses, especially among the most vulnerable – babies, pregnant women, the immunocompromised and the elderly;

 

Whereas, water scarcity is as threatening to human health as poor water quality;

 

Whereas, a core function of government is the development and maintenance of physical infrastructure necessary for communities to function and prosper, such as roads, water systems and the electrical grid;

 

Whereas, federal, state and local governments share responsibility for funding, financing and incentivizing construction and maintenance of infrastructure that provides safe drinking water, wastewater services, recycled water and stormwater management;

 

Whereas, utilities face unprecedented costs for planning, engineering and construction of water infrastructure to maintain service and meet increasingly stringent water quality standards, which are compounded by higher financing costs from rising interest rates in the municipal market;

 

Whereas, availability of affordable financing for water infrastructure is inextricably linked to affordable household water and wastewater bills, which are fundamental to public health protection;

 

Whereas, the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (SRFs) are the nation’s most effective, efficient and responsive programs for providing affordable financing for water infrastructure that protects public health;

 

Whereas, defunding and underfunding the SRFs reduces investment and increases the cost of water infrastructure, which threatens the health of hundreds of millions of Americans; 

 

Now therefore, the SRFs and our partners urge Congress to fund the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds at congressionally authorized levels of $3.25 billion each for federal fiscal year 2025.

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