According to Medlar, the problems water treatment facilities must overcome are numerous: waterborne diseases, crumbling infrastructures and system issues are just some of the obstacles. For example, Medlar tells us that a report from The Water Infrastructure Network "estimates that in order to maintain our systems, not improve them, is going to require an investment of something like $23 billion a year."
Another issue facilities must deal with is the tightening government regulations regarding water quality. Medlar explains that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will implement even stricter laws in 2003. He says at that time, "all of the regulations that apply to surface water will also apply to ground water. Furthermore, all regulations also will apply to all public water systems, regardless of their size." (Under current laws, small systems are exempt from certain regulations.)