Interconnected challenges in US water infrastructure: From optimizing water as a resource to respecting its regenerative force

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Water is essential to life, but the United States faces challenges in providing safe, affordable, and equitable access to it. The nation’s water infrastructure is inefficient, ecologically harmful, and vulnerable to cyberattacks. These issues affect public health, economic stability, and sustainability. Access disparities disproportionately affect low-income and marginalized communities, while climate change and human activity exacerbate water issues across the board.

To tackle these challenges, we need a systematic approach that integrates innovation, strong public policy, and community engagement to support the natural water cycle and rebuild a more resilient U.S. water infrastructure. The complexity of these issues can feel overwhelming, but my recent report from the Sustainability Research Institute uses causal loop diagrams (CLDs) to analyze these challenges—and make use of their interconnectedness by identifying areas of potential synergy. CLDs map how variables interact over time, revealing feedback loops that amplify or reduce impacts. By combining environmental, technological, and social CLDs, the report identifies key leverage points for action. In this blog post, I’ll introduce the combined CLD and the solutions it highlights.

Challenges in motion

The combined CLD resembles a web of interconnected threads, where each connection carries meaning. Green lines show environmental factors, blue lines represent technological factors, and orange lines highlight social factors. Arrows indicate the direction of influence, with positive or negative symbols showing whether a variable amplifies or dampens the effect on its target.

For example, land use changes often increase surface runoff by replacing permeable surfaces with impermeable ones, reducing water infiltration. This harms water quality, making it less healthy for human consumption, hence the minus next to the connection to human health. Tracing these connections reveals how changes ripple through the system, highlighting interdependence and areas for intervention. Some factors have many links, making them key influences, while others form feedback loops or show gaps where connections could improve outcomes. Using this method, we identified three areas with strong potential to drive positive change in the U.S. water system.

Government leadership

Government action on water connects to many factors and is especially ripe for intervention, given that it is under human control. Funding and regulation influence key areas like water quality and quantity by enabling infrastructure upgrades that reduce leaks and breaks. It also directly affects water systems by setting quality standards. Most of its influence flows outward, shaping other factors, while two key inputs—overall government budget and citizen action on water—feed into it. Strengthening these inputs has a significant positive effect on U.S. water infrastructure.

Citizen engagement

Citizen action on water is underutilized, often limited to roles as users, payers, or voters, with few connections to the broader water system. However, it has significant potential to drive change. Models like water cooperatives, where citizens also act as managers and suppliers, show how citizen action on water can improve water quality and water rates while reducing reliance on government action on water. Expanding such efforts could create a “Water Commons Empowerment” loop, linking water quality, human health, public perceptions and awareness, and citizen action on water for transformative impact.

Working for nature

It is possible for such joint efforts to reduce harmful impacts from things like pollution and climate change while strengthening positive feedback loops that enhance ecosystem health, water quality, and water quantity. That is, if they are serving the goal of restoring nature, especially water in this case. Innovation plays a vital role, with advancements in water efficiency, smart monitoring, and wastewater treatment driving progress. However, business-driven technological tools, supported by regulation and citizen demand, will have to be applied purposely towards creating a regenerative system where human activity is a symbiotic, not parasitic, part of ecosystems.

Practical solutions for a resilient water system

Turning leverage points into actionable strategies requires innovative thinking and collaboration among government, businesses, and citizens through better planning, transparent data sharing, and equity-focused decisions. By addressing the challenges highlighted in the CLDs, we can implement practical solutions that resolve immediate issues while building the long-term resilience of the U.S. water system. Real-life examples of this already exist and include:

• Nature-based solutions: Designing infrastructure based on natural processes and features—such as green roofs, permeable pavements, and wetland restoration—addresses water challenges and improves ecosystem health. These approaches compete well with traditional “grey” infrastructure, adding benefits like flood control and carbon capture at no additional costs.
  • Digital technologies: Tools like smart meters, predictive analytics, and AI-powered monitoring can transform water management by reducing waste, optimizing resources, and improving system reliability — something the Trump administration also stressed when announcing a $500 billion private sector investment in AI for infrastructure on January 21.
• Innovative funding mechanisms: Green bonds and payment for ecosystem services (PES) provide financial support for water projects, easing pressure on governments and utilities while attracting private-sector involvement.
• Tiered water rates: A progressive pricing model keeps water affordable for low-income households, who mostly use water for necessities only, while encouraging conservation among high-volume users. Revenue from higher tiers can fund essential infrastructure improvements.

Building a water system for the future

Causal Loop Diagrams (CLDs) offer a powerful tool for dealing and even using the complexity of challenges like the U.S. water crisis, by mapping the relationships between environmental, social, and technological factors. They help identify leverage points where targeted actions—such as nature-based solutions, innovative funding mechanisms, or citizen engagement—can have the most significant impact. By visualizing how these elements interact, CLDs guide efforts to prioritize effective, systemic change. For a deeper exploration of these dynamics and the actionable strategies they inform, access the full report United States water infrastructure: From fixing leaks to regenerating the system.

The time to act is now. Let’s harness the power of interconnected thinking to secure a future where water sustains us all.