State of the Water Industry 2024: Source water protection takes center stage

Protecting drinking water at its source has become the water sector’s top priority, according to the American Water Works Association’s (AWWA) 2024 State of the Water Industry (SOTWI) report. The report, based on a survey of more than 2,400 water professionals conducted in late 2023, provides timely insights into the sector’s challenges and priorities. 

For the first time in the survey’s 21-year history, survey participants listed watershed/source water protection as the sector’s top challenge. Aging infrastructure, which previously led the list, was rated third and financing for capital improvements was second.

This shift toward source water protection highlights the water community’s growing emphasis on safeguarding water quality at its origin to ensure safe, affordable and reliable supplies for the future. This priority reflects mounting concerns about climate change, drought and emerging contaminants like PFAS.

“If we don’t have safe and reliable sources, we don’t have the ability to support public health,” said Raven Lawson, chair of AWWA’s Source Water Protection Committee. “Just as we recognize threats to aging infrastructure, we now more readily recognize and understand threats to our source waters.” 

The SOTWI report states that 61.3% of utilities who participated in the survey are actively implementing or developing source water protection plans, demonstrating a proactive approach to addressing these threats. 

This year’s ranking of the top 20 issues facing the water sector is detailed in AWWA’s 2024 State of the Water Industry (SOTWI) report and corresponding Executive Summary, available on AWWA’s State of the Water Industry resource page.

The 2024 report shows that the water sector faces a multitude of challenges beyond source water protection, including:

• Aging infrastructure: The need for infrastructure investment remains urgent, ranking as the third most pressing challenge. Utilities are prioritizing capital improvement plans (81% reporting implementation) and exploring innovative technologies to extend the lifespan of aging assets.
• PFAS contamination: Growing concern about PFAS, ranked as the top water quality concern for water professionals, coupled with the high cost of treatment, is driving the need for prevention and source water protection strategies.
• Cybersecurity: Ranked as the 10th most challenging issue, the threat of cyberattacks on water systems is increasing, and 49% of utilities are investing in cybersecurity measures to protect critical infrastructure and customer data.
• Climate change: Drought and water shortages (ranked 9th) and climate risk and resilience (12th) are increasingly impacting water resources, highlighting the need for climate-resilient infrastructure and adaptive management practices.
• Workforce: Attracting and retaining skilled workers remains a top 10 challenge (8th), especially in the face of retiring talent and the need for new digital skills.
• Financial sustainability: Ranked 5th most challenging, balancing affordability with the need to invest in infrastructure and meet regulatory requirements continues to be a pressing concern, prompting exploration of innovative rate structures (73% of utilities surveyed plan a rate increase in 2024) and alternative financing.

“AWWA’s water professionals are navigating this complex landscape through collaboration, education and investments in people and technology,” said Pat Kerr, AWWA President. “We are focused on moving water forward to ensure reliable and sustainable access to safe drinking water the world over in 2050 and beyond.”