The Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans must purchase and maintain special equipment like this Vac-Con truck which clears clogged sewerage and drainage lines. Crews went into action in September to clean catch basins and drainage lines when Hurricane Georges threatened the city.
The largest cities in the United States are planning roughly $28.1 billion in capital improvements over the next five years, with a significant portion of the work focusing on flood control and large sewer main replacement, according to a recent WaterWorld survey.
Other common projects are system expansion, new treatment plants, infrastructure improvements and work required to meet new regulations. A few cities are focusing on wetlands creation, groundwater recharge and nonpotable reuse projects.
In the fifth year of the WaterWorld annual Construction Survey, officials with the nations largest cities were asked to provide information on their projected water and wastewater capital improvement budgets for the next fiscal year and the next five years. They also were asked to describe their largest projects planned for the five-year period for both water and wastewater. Thirty cities provided information about their drinking water projects, and 37 cities provided information about wastewater capital expenditures.
Based on the responses, combined sewer projects led the list for next year, with $3.4 billion in projects reported. Other major project categories included basic sewer infrastructure projects, $1.2 billion; water pipe projects, $785.4 million; water treatment plant projects, $2.3 billion; and wastewater treatment plant projects, $3.2 billion.
In all, the cities which responded to the survey reported plans to spend $3.6 billion on water projects, and $4.9 billion on wastewater projects in the next fiscal year. Over the next five years, the cities which responded estimated $13 billion for water and $15.1 billion for wastewater projects.
For a summary of the construction projects planned by the cities responding, see the Editorial Focus: "Cities Plan More than $28 Billion in Spending."
