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From YouTube: Q and A With Tom Curtis
Description
This is a video interview with Tom Curtis, former deputy executive director, American Water Works Association, who moderated the Legislative Summit session on State Efforts to Improve Water Planning. The NCSL Legislative Summit was held in Chicago on Aug. 8-11, 2016.
A
B
A
A
very
good
question,
I
think
the
most
important
things
plural
for
the
public
to
understand
our
that
first
hour,
our
water
systems
are
the
very
foundation
of
Public
Health,
think
about
waterborne
disease,
Public
Safety,
think
about
fire
protection
and
the
quality
of
life
that
Americans
deserve
and
expect.
The
second
thing
for
them
to
remember
is
that
water
service
isn't
free
water
systems
generally
were
built
decades
ago
and
with
investments
that
were
paid
for
largely
by
our
parents
and
grandparents
and
perhaps
generations
before
that.
A
Even
it's
our
time
now
to
reinvest
in
those
water
systems,
because,
although
they
last
a
long
time,
they
don't
last
forever
they've
been
wearing
out
wearing
down
and
now
there's
a
very
significant
need
to
begin
the
reinvestment
and
replacement
of
these
precious
water
systems
as
they
as
they
age.
What.
B
A
Very
good
question:
Doug
I,
believe
there
are
a
number
of
things
that
state
legislators
can
do.
That
would
be
very
helpful.
One
is
to
understand
that
American
communities
really
are
best
served
by
water
systems
that
are
self-sustaining
through
local
rate
structures.
There
is
nobody
who
has
a
big
bag
of
money.
You
can
come
in
right
in
from
offstage
if
you
will
and
pay
for
the
water
system
in
York,
I
say:
there's
nobody.
A
There
are
in
fact
some
limited
programs
from
the
federal
government
through
EPA,
and
some
states
have
programs,
but
by
and
large
water
systems
are
an
hour,
probably
should
be
locally
supported.
American
communities
are
best
served
as
I
said,
if
they
don't
rely
on
outsiders
to
pay
for
these
critically
and
valuable,
important
and
valuable
water
systems
that
we
have.
Second
thing
that
state
legislators
can
do
is
find
ways
to
help
and
encourage
local
water
systems
to
be
self-sufficient,
for
example,
consider
state
laws
that
make
it
easy
for
regional
authorities
to
exist
at
the
state
level.
A
Consider
laws
that
make
it
possible
or
easier,
at
least
for
larger
systems,
to
partner
with
smaller
neighboring
systems,
to
offer
assistance
without
the
larger
system,
necessarily
assuming
liabilities
that
may
apply
to
the
smaller
system.
Perhaps
the
need
to
significantly
reinvest
in
the
infrastructure,
the
smaller
system,
without
overly
burdening
the
customers
in
the
larger
system
that
that
can
offer
assistance
and
then
in
a
very
different
area,
but
but
no
less
important.
A
It's
important
for
state
legislators
to
do
everything
they
can
to
ensure
that
our
sources
of
drinking
water
are
protected,
that
they're,
clean
and
well
managed,
because
dirty
water
upstream
will
always
increase
treatment
costs
downstream
for
drinking
water
suppliers
and
very
often
that
increase
is,
is
dramatic
and
makes
water
service
almost
unaffordable
downstream.
Due
to
problems
upstream
with
with
water
pollution,
state
legislators
can
do
a
great
deal
about
that
is.
B
A
Of
the
more
interesting
things
that
I
am
we're
of
is
a
state
requirement
for
drinking
water
systems
to
increase
their
rates
annually.
This,
the
local
water
system
determines
based
on
a
a
capital
improvement
plan.
What
it
needs
you
know,
as
annual
a
water
rate
increase
and
submits
that
to
the
state
the
state
can.