Innovation Pipeline

California’s water infrastructure has been suffering from years of neglect and investment. Federal and state leaders have finally seen the writing on the wall and they’re trying to pull themselves out of denial.

On July 11, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sen. Dianne Feinstein took the wraps off of a $9.3 billion bond proposal designed to overhaul California’s water system. Expanded water storage, efforts to protect the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and several conservation projects across the state were part of the big plan.

But the real question is how far does a $9 billion investment push the needle in helping modernize an aged water infrastructure badly in need of monitoring and management technologies to watch over this most precious resource in the state. One could say with complete confidence (and the assistance of a pun) that the $9 billion investment is only a drop in the bucket for what’s needed in the long run.

The California deal has plenty of hurdles to overcome before it makes it to the November ballot. Two big areas come to mind: self-serving politics and fuzzy, light-headed thinking (that takes comfort in the world of denial). The Golden State will no doubt find itself suffering on consumer, business and farming fronts if some tough, rational and forward thinking decisions are not made soon.

Just take one look at available stats and its hard not to arrive at the conclusion that massive infrastructure investment is needed for our drinking water. The American Water Works Association estimates U.S. water utilities will need to invest $250 billion over the next 30 years to replace aging pipes. Once the technology costs are added for security and treatment methods, researchers estimate the price will reach $500 billion.

The urgent market need for innovative water technologies is here today.. A centralized water-infrastructure system has served developed countries since the industrial revolution, much of which is more than 100 years old and plenty leaky.

In the U.S. the drinking-water pipe network extends 700,000 miles, more than four times the length of the National highway system. It has been highly efficient for distribution and effective in preserving hygiene. But it is falling apart fast.

A recent survey conducted by Changewave Research explored businesses’ concerns about water usage and technology adoption. And there’s ample evidence to suggest business executives are starting to take notice of the need to embrace water conservation and technologies as a long term corporate strategy.

The category of water technology experiencing the biggest gains in spending are ranked in the following order: wastewater treatment or disposal; water filtration and then reverse osmosis or deionization technology. Fourth on the list was water conservation and recycling.

Looking ahead, the survey results from the 3,000 or so business executives surveyed indicated over the next 12 months, the technology category that should expect the biggest boost in spending is water treatment and disposal. Second on that list was water filtration and third was monitoring and metering.

As for California’s water woes, it represents a picture of an infrastructure issue that’s nationwide. And it’s going to take courage, business leadership and involvement from voters and people in every corner of the economy to hold political leaders accountable and keep them focused on, perhaps, one of the most important issues for the 21st century. For without thoughtful, prudent water policy, California will suffer dearly. And it might just have to consider shedding its Golden State name in favor of a more honest and fitting name that captures short-sighted, fuzzy and confused thinking. By Lee Bruno