Revitalizing America’s Water Infrastructure

In America alone, over 2 million people live without running water, tens of millions lack access to reliable drinking water and more than 9 million households and businesses rely on water systems compromised by toxic lead pipes.¹ The impacts of water challenges are more pressing and widespread than ever before. Every person deserves access to clean water, and with the Biden Administration’s recent allocation of $5.8 billion toward clean water infrastructure as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), utilities are one step closer to turning this goal into a reality.

In this edition of Itron’s IIJA series, we’re taking a closer look at the funding available for utilities to modernize their water distribution systems, the types of projects that can be implemented and eligible Itron solutions to help you make the most of every drop. 

Opportunities to Address Water Challenges 

The funding announcement made on Feb. 20, 2024, is general-purpose drinking water funding for clean water infrastructure. The funding will be available to every state and territory in the country to support projects that expand access to clean drinking water, replace lead pipes, improve wastewater and sanitation infrastructure and remove per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) contamination in water. In addition to this general funding, the EPA also announced $8.5 billion through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) for states, tribes and territories to fund projects that improve wastewater, sanitation and stormwater infrastructure. Assistance for these grant programs is provided directly from state agencies; contact information for each state and next steps on how to apply for funding are available here. 

How Itron Can Help 

With Itron’s comprehensive portfolio of water solutions that can be customized to a variety of use cases, we can help water providers maximize these investments in America’s water infrastructure while facilitating timely, cost effective and sustainable project implementation. Itron enables utilities to increase conservation and achieve integrated water management with the following solutions:

• AMI Essentials for Water 
  • Deploy and unlock value-based outcomes and establish a foundation for your smart water distribution networks with Itron’s AMI Essentials solution. This fully integrated, end-to-end AMI solution includes a cellular network communications platform, Itron cellular water communication modules (endpoints) hosted software and deployment services. With AMI Essentials, water providers gain access to advantages including advanced data collection, on-demand readings, real-time alarms, remote service shutoff, customer engagement features and more. 
• Temetra Analysis 
  • Optimize and efficiently manage your water distribution network with Temetra Analysis. Temetra® Analysis improves operational visibility, minimizes leaks, maximizes return on investment on meter replacements, streamlines pressure management, reduces labor costs, optimizes network operations and proactively improves the customer experience. These outcomes help water providers identify, prioritize and reduce non-revenue water for real and apparent water losses in the distribution network. 
• Leak Detection 
  • Take the guesswork out of detecting potential leaks with Itron’s OpenWay® Riva™ Leak Sensor. This acoustic water leak sensor listens for leaks in the distribution system of a water network and enables water providers to locate and repair leaks in their distribution system before they become catastrophic main breaks. 

The recent funding allocated toward clean water infrastructure creates a significant opportunity for utilities to modernize their water distribution systems, address pressing water management challenges and increase water quality for their communities unlike ever before. These investments are catalyzing a critical step forward for utilities and America at large in safeguarding our world’s most precious resources and creating a more resourceful world. 

Contact Dave Stensland, business development director, IIJA, or Liz Thompson, business growth manager, for more information, and stay up to date with all things IIJA at www.itron.com/iija. Check out other related blogs in our IIJA series here.