The heads of Dallas-based contractors AECOM and Jacobs, Montreal-headquartered WSP and other major construction firms have identified water projects as a growing market. Beyond pipe replacement, resilience, flooding, stormwater and other climate change-related water work is booming, buoyed by the IIJA and other federal spending.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act designates $15 billion to help utilities pay for the upgrades along with $11.7 billion in general-purpose funding through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund that can be used for lead pipe replacement, according to the release. Funding from the American Rescue Plan’s $350 billion State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund can also be used to replace lead service lines and remediate lead paint.
