Business View Civil and Municipal | April 2021

13 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL APRIL 2021 T he American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) latest Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, issued every four years since 2001, recently gave the nation’s drinking water systems a C- grade and its wastewater systems a D+ grade. This remains in line with previous reports and heightens the sense of urgency to take actions to improve this important, but often overlooked part of our nation’s infrastructure. “This year’s ASCE grades on drinking water and wastewater infrastructure have come in, and we continue to see a dire national need to upgrade, repair, and maintain a vast system responsible for the essential services that help keep our lives flowing,” said Bruce Aiton, director of engineering for Pennsylvania American Water. “Pennsylvania American Water has already been addressing infrastructure needs through consistent investment in our systems, which is evidenced by our company’s excellent compliance record compared to municipal systems.” Pennsylvania American Water plans to invest approximately $1.1 billion in system improvements over the next three years to continue to provide safe, reliable service to customers. The company recently provided a recap of its $400 million of infrastructure upgrades in 2020 despite the COVID-19 public health emergency. NEWAMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS NATIONAL INFRAST REINFORCES NEED TO ACT ON UPDATING AND MAINTAINING U.S. W OPENING L INES