The long-awaited infrastructure bill passed! Over the next ten years, the bill will invest in the following major transportation buckets: 

• $110B in roads and bridges 
• $66B in railroads 
• $39B in public transit 
• $25B for airports 
• $17B for ports 
• $15B for electric vehicles 
• $11B for road safety 
• $1B for reconnecting communities 

Equally importantly, the bill will invest $55B in water infrastructure including: 

• $11.7B to Clean Water State Revolving Funds 
• $11.7B to Drinking Water State Revolving Funds 
• $15B to general State Revolving Funds, specifically to identify and replace lead service lines 
• $10B to address emerging contaminants, such as PFAS 

This water investment is critical given that Illinois has the most lead service lines of any state, and these funds will support a significant level of lead pipe replacement. In addition to lead pipes, Illinois communities have a long backlog of water infrastructure maintenance and repair needs. The State Revolving Fund is a federal, low-interest loan program designed to support water service infrastructure repair and replacement, distributed to states which provide matching funds. The infrastructure bill stipulates that 49% of funds be distributed as grants and principal forgiveness loans, meaning it will essentially be free money for some communities. Much of our water infrastructure was constructed with federal money, and, since then, an increasingly large share has fallen to state and local levels. This results in an untenable situation that impacts Black and Brown communities most acutely, as the recent water crisis in Dixmoor highlights. This long-awaited investment in our nation’s infrastructure will help move water to the top of many capital improvement lists.