As experts say federal funding for clean water across the country has been slashed in half over the last decade, a report just released says Georgia will need billions of federal dollars to repair its crumbling infrastructure if the state wants to keep pace with the growing demand for clean water.
For 2008, federal funds to pay for clean water in Georgia will be one point eight million dollars. That's a mere drop in the bucket compared to the estimated 2 billion the state says is needed to repair its aging water and sewer systems.
Wenonah Hauter is executive director of Food and Water Watch. The group has revived a proposal to establish a national trust fund to pay for rebuilding water infrastructure systems nationwide. Without it, Hauter says raw sewage could be flowing down Georgia streets.
"This is especially true of the combined sewer systems that handle sewage and storm water run off. Overflows from failing and insufficient combined sewer systems are wrecking environmental and economic havoc on a massive scale."
