Status, outlook and investment needs for America’s water infrastructure

Earlier this year, The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the country’s most longstanding national civil engineering organization representing more than 160 000 civil engineers in private practice, government, industry, and academia, published a 225 page report entitled: ‘A comprehensive assessment of America’s infrastructure’. This article highlights some key elements of the report relating to hydropower and dam infrastructure. In particular, the positive impact of legislation in recent years is noted, but also investment needs are discussed, especially with respect to ensuring the safety of water infrastructure in the light of new challenges for aging dams and levees created by climate change. The report puts forward a number of specific recommendation for the profession.