Waterfront structures made of wood in the past are known to be heavily treated with preservatives and over time leach preservatives into the water and new techniques for treating wood are needed for water safety. This is an important reminder that wooden pipes are no longer adequate or safe to be a part of the water infrastructure the population relies on. It has been estimated that the lifespan of pipes from the early 1900’s are 75-100 years and with the average age of pipes in the United States being 78 years old, we are coming up on a possibly large-scale failure of water transportation infrastructure. In Chicago, during 2011, the Water Department network sprang 3,800 leaks and was shown to have wooden pipes in areas. Americans need to call on Congress to address these issues now before a large-scale crisis happens.

These many examples I have provided demonstrate a strong case for the need for Congress to make the aging infrastructure in the United States a priority in the budget to improve to the water quality of our municipal cities. Congress has the power to make municipal water quality and aging infrastructure throughout the United States a priority in the national budget. At the beginning of our nation, the founding fathers had differing opinions on whether it was constitutional or not to federally fund infrastructure projects and it is my belief that we have grown so much as a nation, that a federally funded infrastructure bill is overdue. The United States of America has grown into a beautiful, expansive country since the founding of our country and Americans need a better water system than the infrastructure built in the late 1800’s.

Before I discuss possible solutions to the problem of aging infrastructure in the United States, I would like to point out some ethical types to keep in mind when analyzing possible solutions. A favored ethical type of mine is utilitarianism for it’s benefit to the majority. I believe that if this ethical type is used in consideration to fix the aging infrastructure in the United States that a good solution can be found. Similarly, if looking at this problem from a Kantian perspective you could logically assume the motive to be to create a higher quality of life for the people of this country. A major issue with this ethical type is that not everyone following Kantian ethics will have that exact motive. To contrast the positive Kantian perspective, there will be those bureaucracies such as big business and big government that can create their own motives such as creating profits for shareholders and that, in the end, will not benefit the majority.

Kantian motives for big business has lead to instances like the World Bank leveraging the country of Bolivia to privatize their water to profit the World Bank, by the large loans required for water privatization and by telling Bolivia that if they don’t privatize water the World Bank will not loan them future money for water development projects. It is important to realize these instances where ethics have been twisted for the use of bureaucracies when looking at possible solutions to the aging infrastructure in the United States. It is imperative that the communities involved in the aging infrastructure crisis are engaged in the process and are properly represented in the decisions being made that affect their well-being. This is why it is important to follow a utilitarian ethical perspective when dealing with the issue of aging water infrastructure and do what is best for everyone, update the system.
