The United States loses an estimated 2.1 trillion gallons of water annually due to aging and deteriorating infrastructure, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. A study conducted by the Environmental Sustainability Research Centre at Brock University in Ontario estimates that approximately 1.6 trillion gallons of water are lost annually in Canada for the same reason. The challenges posed by population growth, climate, regulation uncertainties, inflation and the urgent need to modernize water systems have led to an unprecedented wave of investment in water infrastructure across North America. In 2021, the U.S. federal government allocated more than $50 billion to building water and wastewater projects, signaling the scale of the issue. The Investing in Canada Plan, launched in 2016, represents a $180 billion, 12-year initiative to improve infrastructure. The plan focuses on enhancing water quality, increasing access to safe drinking water, and improving efficiency of treatment facilities by 2030.
