Executive Director of North Dakota Rural Water Systems Association (NDRWSA) Eric Volk testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works hearing on September 7 entitled "Implementing the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: Perspectives on The Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act, Part II." The hearing allowed Volk to share challenges and perspectives rural and small water systems are facing with members of the committee.
To begin his testimony, Volk shared that of the 306 active community water systems in the state of North Dakota, 296 of those systems serve a population of 10,000 or less.
"Meeting the demands of repairing and replacing aging infrastructure and complying with rules and regulations are taking its toll on many small and rural water systems," Volk said. "Another major challenge facing rural and small water systems is the ever-increasing rural-to-urban migration, which continues to decrease the population base, and which adds to the cost to the individual consumer. This does offer a challenge in finding affordable ways to bring quality water to rural areas. Without significant state and federal grant funding, the cost to the consumer is just too much for the average family to afford."