Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink!

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates the nation's 73,000-plus water delivery systems will need upgrades over the next two decades totaling about $384 billion, according to a survey made public last month. On a per-person basis, Arkansas, Nevada and Iowa have the costliest needs, according the data. The expected tabs are lowest in Tennessee, South Carolina and Rhode Island.

Other studies have pegged the need far higher. In a 2012 report that accounted for added demands due to population growth, the American Water Works Association estimates the need for upgrades at closer to $1 trillion, with the biggest price tags in the rapidly-growing West and South. The numbers don't include wastewater treatment upgrades, which the group says will cost just as much.

Jim Taft, head of the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators, said both of those studies provide helpful windows into what states and localities are facing. "Whether it's $380 billion or $1 trillion, there's a vast difference between what's required and what's appropriated."


* From Stateline, a nonpartisan, nonprofit news service of the Pew Charitable Trusts that provides daily reporting and analysis on trends in state policy.