Water Infrastructure Resiliency
Description
Drinking water and wastewater utilities have experienced disruption or
failure following natural disasters, threatening public health. For
example, disasters in Mississippi in 2022 and North Carolina in 2024
left residents without potable water for weeks.
This report examines, among other things, (1) financial assistance
that EPA, FEMA, and USDA provided to improve drinking water and
wastewater infrastructure; (2) the extent to which these agencies
addressed barriers vulnerable communities face accessing and
participating in selected programs; and (3) how these agencies assessed
the extent to which assistance reached vulnerable communities.
failure following natural disasters, threatening public health. For
example, disasters in Mississippi in 2022 and North Carolina in 2024
left residents without potable water for weeks.
This report examines, among other things, (1) financial assistance
that EPA, FEMA, and USDA provided to improve drinking water and
wastewater infrastructure; (2) the extent to which these agencies
addressed barriers vulnerable communities face accessing and
participating in selected programs; and (3) how these agencies assessed
the extent to which assistance reached vulnerable communities.