Water Finance: The Imperative for Water Security and Economic Growth

Published in July 2018, the report “Water Finance: The Imperative for Water Security and Economic Growth,” considers the misconnect between how water is an essential, irreplaceable facet of every person’s life, yet increasingly, investment into improving water infrastructure in the US has not been emphasized at the state or federal levels.

This report studies problem through an economic impact lens, analyzing the predicted future lost GDP, lost jobs, and overall harmful economic impacts that the US faces due to un-closed gaps in water infrastructure funding. The report continues by offering up a handful of recommendations to combat this problem, particularly in small- to medium-size water systems, and possible financial structures that would increase the amount of capital into this needed sector.

Members of the WFX leadership contributed to the recommendations and research found in this report, a collaboration between Water in the West, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, ReNUWIt, and the US Water Partnership.

Read the full report.