In a recent report detailing the funding challenges for Colorado’s water and wastewater infrastructure, the Colorado Municipal League identified needs exceeding $2.6 billion. There are now 292 drinking water projects needing $1 billion and 352 wastewater projects needing almost $1.65 billion. The situation for small communities across the state is especially desperate. Forty wastewater projects in these communities have been designated public health hazards and several more are in significant non-compliance.

A new PBS documentary called Liquid Assets, produced by Penn State University, details the water situation we face as a nation. A four-minute trailer is available at http://www.liquidassets.psu.edu/index.html. The 90-minute documentary that tells the story of essential infrastructure systems: water, wastewater and stormwater. These systems—some in the ground for more than 100 years—provide a critical public health function and are essential for economic development and growth. Largely out of sight and out of mind, these aging systems have not been maintained, and some estimates suggest this is the single largest public works endeavor in our nation’s history.

For more information and/or to view the documentary, contact the WIP at (970) 247-1302 or stop by the office at 841 East Second Avenue in Durango.