Structural changes in the water industry from 2001 to 2011

摘要

Little attention has been given to changes that occur in community water systems (CWSs) over time. Data from 2001 and 2011 are used to evaluate changes in system size and source water type. Major findings include: (1) on average CWSs grew by 15%; (2) smaller CWSs (i.e., those serving 10,000 or fewer people in 2001) grew by more than 22%; (3) 20% of people in 2011 were served by a CWS that had served 10,000 or fewer people 10 years earlier, but in seven states the percentage exceeded 45%; (4) more than 3,100 CWSs moved into a larger size category, whereas almost 900 CWSs moved into a smaller category; and (5) more than 2,000 CWSs changed their type of source water, with a net increase in surface water systems.