In light of climate change and increasing infrastructure crises in the United States, a new crisis is emerging that threatens to exacerbate the country’s water problems: the shortage of skilled workers in the water sector.
This issue, addressed in a detailed report published by Bloomberg, challenges the United States’ ability to maintain clean drinking water and effective sanitation systems.
US water sector
The report indicates that about 30% to 50% of workers in the American water sector, numbering about 1.7 million people, will reach retirement age during the next decade.
Joseph Kane, a fellow at the Brookings Institution and author of an analysis of the 2021 data, explains that 88% of water treatment plant operators are 45 or older, compared to a national average of 45% in other sectors.
Shannon Walton, director of workforce development for the National Rural Water Association, noted that this shortage reflects the absence of proper succession plans for workers, especially in rural areas where communities lack the resources to hire and train a new worker while a qualified worker is employed.
“In some very small communities, more than one village may share just one licensed water operator,” Walton says.
Heavy burden and increasing crises
Water infrastructure in the United States needs huge investments estimated at $630 billion over the next 20 years, according to the EPA’s 2024 report.
This value reflects an increase of 73% compared to 2012 estimates, which reflects the extent of the deterioration that the infrastructure has witnessed and the increasing pressures on it, according to Bloomberg.
Climate changes increase the challenges facing the sector:
- In September 2024, residents of Asheville, North Carolina, experienced water outages that lasted more than 50 days after Hurricane Helen.
- In the village of Whitehall, New York, drought caused water levels to drop 14 feet, forcing schools to close and disrupting daily life.
- In New York, shifts in precipitation patterns are causing additional problems. Rohit Agarwal, head of the city’s climate department, explains that rainfall instead of snowfall makes the water more polluted as a result of runoff. He adds, “We get very clean water from melting snow, but runoff water resulting from severe storms poses a major challenge.”
Skilled labor crisis and lack of experience
Speaking to Bloomberg, James Fahey, operations supervisor at the Veolia North America facility, explains the complexities workers face in converting water from an algae-covered lake into pure drinking water suitable for consumption.
The water goes through a series of processes, including ozone treatments to remove heavy metals such as iron and manganese, adding chlorine to kill bacteria, and passing through multi-layer filters of sediment and sand.
Fahey says: “It is not just about obtaining qualifications and certificates, but about practical experience. Anyone can pass the exams, but practical experience is what makes the difference.”
Positions that need to be filled include maintenance work, water treatment plant management, and water line repair, all of which offer competitive wages. But, as Alan Welland, regional president of Veolia Water New Jersey, explained, awareness of these opportunities is very weak.
“We haven’t promoted this sector as much as we should have historically,” Weyland says.
Initiatives to attract young workers
Some institutions are seeking to address this crisis by launching new training programs, according to Bloomberg.
The National Rural Water Association has launched a vocational training program aimed at attracting young workers. In 2023, Veolia North America opened its training academy to the public to help trainees pass government certification exams.
However, the biggest challenge remains convincing young people to join this important sector. “Most current employees, including myself, discovered this sector by accident,” says Alan Wieland, regional president of Veolia Water New Jersey.
During the 19th and early 20th centuries, major investments in water and sanitation systems helped eliminate deadly diseases such as cholera and typhoid, according to the agency.
Experts point out the importance of policy makers taking inspiration from this experience to avoid the return of health crises resulting from water pollution.
Shannon Walton says work in the water sector remains “out of sight and interest.” “Even during disasters, electrical workers are celebrated because everyone sees them repairing poles,” she says. “As for water and sanitation workers, their work is invisible.”
