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WHITE PAPER

Closing the Water Access Gap in the United States

Access to clean, reliable running water and safe sanitation are baseline conditions for health, prosperity, and wellbeing. However, they remain out of reach for some of the most vulnerable people in the United States: communities of color, lower-income people in rural areas, and tribal communities, among others. Today, more than two million Americans lack access to running water, indoor plumbing, or wastewater services. Better water access would allow vulnerable communities to thrive.

This report presents an analysis of the water and sanitation access challenge in the United States, leveraging both quantitative and qualitative research. It proposes a plan of action to ensure equitable water access in our lifetimes, highlighting opportunities for action by the water sector, government agencies, philanthropy, nonprofits, and the public. Finally, it showcases the promising approaches communities have developed to ensure that their residents can turn on the tap or flush the toilet without a second thought.

This report was developed through collaboration, and it demonstrates how powerful diverse stakeholders can be when they join together. As an organization working directly with communities that lack basic services, DigDeep demonstrates that it is possible to develop solutions to this urgent issue. As an organization that unites diverse interests to build a sustainable water future for all, the US Water Alliance demonstrates the potential of cross-sector partnership. A challenge of this magnitude—affecting the health and wellbeing of millions of Americans—requires the expertise, resources, and ingenuity of a broad range of leaders, united under the guidance of vulnerable communities themselves. Together, we can close the water access gap in our lifetimes.

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Adaptive Reuse: Converting Offices to Multi­Residential Family

Adaptive reuse of commercial office spaces to residential multifamily offers opportunities to ease some of the housing shortage in the US. These types of construction projects have many challenges, from zoning restrictions, financing, and also controlling construction costs. Construction costs specifically can have a disparate impact on whether an adaptive reuse project is possible, let alone successful. Therefore, flexibility during the construction process is vital to the success of an adaptive reuse project. Codes for plumbing and mechanical systems that support design versatility and science-based methods, such as the Uniform Codes, will be essential for controlling construction expenses.

Capacities of Stacks and Horizontal Drains in Storm Drainage Systems

The sizing for storm drainage systems are dependent upon flow capacity equations used to calculate velocities and flow rates in pipe conduits. One of the variables in the equations is the coefficient of roughness. This paper explores how the roughness of different types of material will change the computational results that are dependent upon the roughness coefficient of the pipe.

Increase in Flow Diversity From Simultaneous Fixture Use: Impact on Peak Flow Estimate

In calculating peak water demand, there can be instances where an increase in fixture count results in a decrease in the expected peak demand. This white paper explains why this counterintuitive result can occur, especially when there is some probability of stagnation (i.e., zero demand). Using IAPMO’s Water Demand Calculator (WDC), we are not designing with zero flow in mind; hence, zero flows are ignored, and the 99th percentile is extracted from actual flows for any combination of busy fixtures.


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