Of all the elements of our public infrastructure, our water systems are the most essential for the daily lives of Americans. The average American family of four uses roughly 400 gallons of water a day for drinking, washing, cooking, cleaning, and more. Businesses and industry throughout our nation also depend on clean water to keep their doors open and to manufacture thousands of goods we use or export every day. Indeed, commercial and institutional water-use amounts to roughly 17 percent of the total fresh water used in the United States.

EPA has issued the U.S.-Mexico border water infrastructure program's annual report for 2011. The report highlights the significant impacts that the program is having in border communities by providing first-time access to drinking and wastewater infrastructure, improving public health and the environment, and creating jobs.