Congress has before them a historic opportunity to bolster our water infrastructure and prepare for extreme weather events such as flooding and sea level rise. The budget reconciliation bill that is currently being assembled for a vote in late September would provide more funding for climate resilience and adaptation than we have seen in decades.

As the executive director of the Maine Water Utilities Association, I am very aware of the need for water infrastructure improvements. Our utility providers have done an incredible job servicing Maine people over the years, but the number of projects that need to be done continue to grow. As a result, 2019 saw 322 combined wastewater overflow events, resulting on over half a billion gallons of raw sewage being discharged into Maine’s rivers and coastline. Without funding support these incidents will continue as the climate grows more variable and extreme weather events happen more frequently.

Maine is fortunate to have an abundance of clean water and an incredible coastline, but increasingly unpredictable weather and sea-level rise is putting a strain on our aging water infrastructure. New funding is essential to make the improvements needed to keep our water safe and reliable for all Mainers, and that funding is contained in the budget reconciliation plan. I urge our Congressional representatives to pass this bill with full funding, and I hope you will too.

Bruce Berger

Maine Water Utilities Association

Augusta