Part of a new industry series Sustaining the Future™: Climate Risk Intelligence™ for Water Infrastructure
Water Infrastructure at a Crossroads
Water infrastructure across the United States is aging, overstressed, and operating beyond its intended design. The nation maintains more than 2.6 million miles of drinking water and wastewater pipelines, pump stations, and distribution networks (EPA, 2022). Fourteen percent of these assets are 80 years or older, and some cities face replacement cycles of 150 years, far above the recommended range for system integrity (EPA, 2022). The EPA estimates utilities will require at least $625 billion in new capital investment over the next two decades to maintain reliable service (EPA, 2022).
Climate change is intensifying these challenges. Extreme heat, drought, heavy rainfall, riverine flooding, tidal flooding, and compound climate events now drive nearly eighty-five percent of major service disruptions (NOAA, 2024). Population growth in water-scarce regions is raising demand by ten to twenty percent per decade (U.S. Census, 2023). Traditional models based on historical weather are no longer sufficient; non-stationary climate conditions require proactive, scenario-based, asset-level assessments. To maintain reliable service, utilities must shift from reactive risk management to climate risk intelligence.
Water infrastructure is essential for public health, economic productivity, food security, industry, and national resilience. More than 350 million people rely on municipal systems daily (EPA, 2023). Public systems deliver 39 billion gallons of drinking water per day, while wastewater plants process 32 billion gallons (EPA, 2022). Even brief advisories disrupt hospitals, schools, and businesses, often resulting in millions in losses.
Agriculture depends heavily on water reliability. Globally, agriculture consumes about 70 percent of freshwater withdrawals (FAO, 2023), and about 40 percent in the United States (USGS, 2023).
Industry and energy systems are equally dependent. U.S. industries withdraw around 120 billion gallons per day (USGS, 2022). Thermoelectric power plants withdraw 133 billion gallons per day and support roughly 90 percent of U.S. electricity generation (DOE, 2023). Water shortages can force curtailments and threaten grid stability.
Water infrastructure supports trillions in annual economic activity. As climate change accelerates, ensuring system reliability becomes a defining challenge for public health, financial security, and national resilience (IPCC, 2021; ASCE, 2024).
More in the next post on Sustaining the Future™: Climate Risk Intelligence™ for Water Infrastructure…
Ready to get started? To learn how ClimaTwin can help you assess the physical and financial impacts of future weather and climate extremes on your infrastructure assets, capital programs, and investment portfolio, please visit www.climatwin.com today.
© 2025 ClimaTwin Corp. All rights reserved worldwide.
ClimaTwin® is a registered trademark of ClimaTwin Corp. The ClimaTwin logos, ClimaTwin Solutions™, Climate Risk Intelligence™, Climate Business Intelligence™, Future-proofing assets today for tomorrow’s climate extremes™ are trademarks of ClimaTwin Corp. All trademarks, service marks, and logos are protected by applicable laws and international treaties, and may not be used without prior written permission of ClimaTwin Corp.
###