America’s drinking water infrastructure is getting a D, but it’s not something we can afford. From a wide lens, the reason our national drinking water infrastructure is failing is simple: It’s old and poorly maintained. But narrow the focus, and the explanation behind the failing grade is more complicated.

Nestled between Calgary and Edmonton lies the City of Red Deer, the third largest city in the province of Alberta, Canada. Known for beautiful walking paths and the Red Deer River that winds through the heart of the city, it’s a majestic place to live for over 100,000 residents. In Red Deer, the summers are long and comfortable, but the winters bring arctic weather. Freezing temperatures present significant challenges for the city’s 14-person wastewater crew, which is responsible for a total of 533.2 km (331 miles) of sanitary sewer pipes and 560.3 km (348 miles) of stormwater pipes.

Sanitary sewer systems are critical to the U.S. economy and to protecting public health and the environment. But because they're hidden from sight, few outside the water and wastewater industry understand their operation. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates more than 151,000 public water systems in the United States that serve 90% of Americans—that’s more than 290 million people who rely on sanitary sewers!

Every four years, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) releases an Infrastructure Report Card grading the United States on 16 major infrastructure categories, as well as the state of the nation’s infrastructure as a whole. In 2017, the U.S. overall tied its grade from 2013 with a D+. Wastewater infrastructure improved its grade from a D in 2013 to a D+ in 2017.