What is Infrastrucucture and why we should care about it

By Barbara (Finerty) Keegan

The term infrastructure is used to refer collectively to the roads, bridges, rail lines, and similar public works that are required for an industrial economy to function.

So what is California's current infrastructure grade? Overall it is a C, however dams and levees are a worrying D. And urban runoff is a D+. These grades should be of concern to all of us. How did California go from being a leader in infrastructure to our current condition?

The term infrastructure is used to refer collectively to the roads, bridges, rail lines, and similar public works that are required for an industrial economy to function. Here's a quote from the American Society of Civil Engineers California Infrastructure Report Card 2012: "The magnificent Golden Gate and San Diego-Coronado bridges; the Hoover, Grand Coulee and other great dams and water systems of the west; our transcontinental railroads and unparalleled network of modern interstates; the airports, seaport, tunnels and transit systems that serve our cities--all of these are part of California's infrastructure."

So what is California's current infrastructure grade? Overall it is a C, which is better than the 2009 national average that was a D. And the water category for our state is given a C grade. However dams and levees are a worrying D. And urban runoff is a D+. These grades should be of concern to all of us.

How did California go from being a leader in infrastructure to our current condition? Let's take a look at history. Our state has gone from making very robust investments in infrastructure of 20 cents on the dollar back in the 50's and 60's, to modest investments of less than 5% in the 80's. Infrastructure investment today is estimated to be only about a penny on the dollar.

This neglect of our infrastructure comes at a cost. The infrastructure needs in our state have increased due to population increases as well as the natural degradation over time of existing infrastructure. The 10-year projected infrastructure needs for our state amounts to a whopping $650 billion.

So let's summarize what California is facing with water related infrastructure.

Levees/Dams

In California we face the very real possibility of our fragile levee systems failing. In addition to the potential for catastrophic damage to life and property, a failure in the Delta could reduce Santa Clara County water supplies by half. That's because over 50% of our water supply comes through the Delta.

Urban runoff

Despite the fact that significant improvements have been made to reduce urban run-off since the state and federal regulations for surface water were put in place two decades ago, we continue to under perform in this area. New regulations and obligations require more effort to be made and we have not kept pace. In addition to infrastructure investment, we need to better control the sources of pollution in our environment.

Water

Our water infrastructure is vital to our quality of life. We depend on clean drinking water for our very existence. Our ability to meet our current and future water needs is not just dependent on supplies but also on the condition of the infrastructure that is used to collect, store, treat and deliver water. Our current system is in okay shape but we need investment now to ensure that we can continue to provide an adequate level of service in the future.