Many Western states use outdated methods to measure their water system needs according to an analysis by Pew Charitable Trusts, a nonpartisan research group.
Some states don't even have inventories of basic assets, like aging pipes, or where lead service lines still exist.
Aleena Oberthur, a project director at Pew and report co-author, said good data drives smart spending.
"It's really important for policymakers and for states to understand what is the scope of their infrastructure need," Oberthur said. "Because that helps them kind of make the best decisions about allocating funds."
Nationwide, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates water and wastewater systems will need more than a trillion dollars in upgrades over the next 20 years.
But some states are making progress.
In New Mexico, regional water managers helped shape the latest statewide water plan in 2018, flagging more than $4 billion dollars in needed upgrades.
In Utah, lawmakers set up a Water Infrastructure Fund, ordered funding studies, and created a unified plan to rank and prioritize projects.
Elsewhere in the Mountain West, Idaho and Montana devoted more than half of their federal recovery funds to water infrastructure investments, according to Pew.
Oberthur said efforts like these are key if western states want water systems strong enough to withstand a hotter, drier future.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
