Drinking water earns "C-" on ASCE 2025 Infrastructure Report Card
Drinking water has earned a “C-” on the 2025 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, which is the same score it received in 2021.
ASCE released the report card grading America’s infrastructure on March 25, 2025, where the country received an overall grade of “C,” its highest ever score.
ASCE drinking water report card
The ASCE Report Card highlighted the need for funding and building more resilient infrastructure. According to ASCE, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) determined that the nation’s water infrastructure needs stand at $625 billion over 20 years, exceeding EPA’s 2018 assessment by more than $150 billion.
“Our nations water infrastructure is aging and underfunded,” said Carol Haddock, vice chair of the committee, in a news briefing.
The report highlighted new funding opportunities, such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which invested more than $30 billion for drinking water improvements, removal of lead service lines and addressing emerging contaminants like per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
The report also states that there have been funding shortfalls, like with state revolving funds that support drinking water.
“SRF’s have had flat funding since 2020, earmarks have reduced the amount of funding,” said Pat Lach, chair of Illinois’ ASCE Report Card, in a news briefing.
ASCE stated that utilities are facing their own challenges, which include:
- Aging infrastructure
- Emerging contaminants
- Extreme weather
- Operational costs
“Many utilities are improving performance using innovation,” Haddock said in a news briefing. “We are seeing a wonderful deployment of innovations and technology.”
One improvement mentioned was asset management. ASCE reports that only 30% of utilities have fully implemented an asset management plan, but just under half are in the process of implementing one.
The report highlighted the need to utilize programs and assistance to meet new regulations, so the burden doesn’t fall on public water systems and ratepayers.
“Not only do we still have needs, but there’s new technologies and things that need to happen to meet all the regulatory changes,” Lach said in a news briefing.
Key takeaways from the ASCE infrastructure report card
Key insights from the 2025 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure include:
- Grades increased or stayed the same in 16 categories since the prior report in 2021.
- If IIJA levels of funding are supported beyond the bill’s expiration in 2026, taxpayers will save $700 per year, according to ASCE.
- Stormwater and transit tied for the lowest grade of “D,” while ports earned the highest grade of “B.”
- The new category of broadband received a “C+.”
- Both energy (D+) and rail (B-) received declining grades due to safety and capacity concerns.
- Trends impacting U.S. infrastructure include extreme weather, the need for sustained investments and the need for reliable data.
- There is a funding gap of roughly $3.7 trillion across all infrstrucure sectors, according to ASCE.
The report highlighted the need for sustained investment, prioritizing resiliency and advancing policy in innovations.
