Water Finance

Last week, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee?s Panel on Public-Private Partnerships (P3 Panel) released its final report and recommendations on how to balance the needs of the public and private sector when undertaking P3s to finance U.S. infrastructure.

Ohio-based Contech Engineered Solutions announced that it has acquired the assets of Filterra Bioretention Systems from Americast, Inc.

With a deadline looming to strike a deal on a state water bond, Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders earlier this month, floated a roughly $7 billion proposal they insist will help California weather future droughts.

Private water markets in the United States are poised for significant growth, according to a new report from Bluefield Research. Privately-owned water supply networks serve 15 percent of the U.S. population.

Recently, Trimble announced that the Orange County Sanitation District has implemented its Trimble Connect software in combination with Trimble Juno T41 rugged Android mobile devices for automating utility manhole maintenance, mapping and inspection.

Last week, U.S. Senators and Representatives from California and Oregon introduced ?W21: Water in the 21st Century,? legislation that would help communities nationwide better prepare for future water management needs.

As many urgent updates to the United States? infrastructure continue to be derailed by a lack of funding, the use of public-private partnerships, also called P3s or PPPs, is providing a viable path to completion for an increasing number of these projects.

Last month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is awarding $2.1 million to 37 organizations in 17 states and Puerto Rico to help protect and restore urban waters, improve water quality and support community revitalization and other local priorities.

At the time of this issue?s publication, the Los Angeles Times reported that the agricultural industry is facing $1 billion in lost revenue while the state could wind up paying an additional $500 million for groundwater pumping. Among the many questions the situation poses, one is, ?How do city leaders cope with these challenges??

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is beginning to explore the use of public-private partnerships to repair the nation’s aging infrastructure due to provisions in the new Water Resources Reform and Development Act.