Black & Veatch has released its 2024 water report. Black & Veatch highlights consistent concerns plaguing the U.S. water industry, including an aging workforce and infrastructure, and the ongoing threat of natural disasters resulting from climate change.
The report is based on expert analyses of a survey of roughly 630 U.S. water industry stakeholders and details complex U.S. water, wastewater and stormwater sectors that are trying to muscle through conflicting priorities.
A press release from Black & Veatch underscores new themes this year including contaminants and cybersecurity.
In April 2024 the federal government announced a regulatory limit for all municipal water systems for six per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water.
In March 2024 a letter from the Biden administration asked all governor to bolster security in their states for water and wastewater systems, warning that “disabling cyberattacks” are targeting utilities across the country.
The new report offers a comprehensive overview of what has, and hasn’t, changed in the water industry from the previous year.
The press release also included some key findings from the report:
- Roughly two-thirds of survey respondents (65%) cited aging infrastructure again as their foremost challenge.
- Aging workforce and the challenge of hiring qualified staff remains in the top two for the third consecutive year at 47%, down from 51% in 2023.
- 41% of respondents don’t expect funding for capital infrastructure projects over the next five to 10 years to be enough.
- Nearly half (45%) said they’ve pursued state and federal funding.
- Six in 10 respondents cast sustainability as a critical strategic focus, a slight drop from the previous two years.
- About half of respondents report that their utility has sustainability goals and the means to measure them.
- More than eight of 10 respondents to the survey cast cybersecurity investment just as important as physical security.
- Two-thirds of respondents prefer that they govern their cybersecurity themselves.
- 42% of respondents say that PFAS has been detected in their water supply.
