It was one of those gorgeous summer days that we dream about at this chilly time of the year. An old buddy was visiting from out of state, and we wanted to get onto the water in our kayaks. I suggested a launch on the Hudson River in North Troy.
My friend was dubious. "Is my hand going to fall off if I get it wet?" he asked.
Apparently the Hudson's reputation as a waste dump was broader than I had realized. I assured my friend that not only were toxic PCBs being dredged from upriver, but that federal clean water laws enacted in the 1970s had made the Hudson clean enough that you wouldn't mind splashing around in it.
But on that sunny day, I wasn't thinking about what happens when heavy rains fill storm drains and overwhelm sewage treatment plants. Then a mix of rainwater and untreated sewage pours into the river. That happens here about 90 times a year, dumping 1.2 billion gallons of unsafe wastewater into the river.
Maybe Lake George would have been a better choice for kayaking. The Hudson isn't the befouled mess that it was 40 years ago, but it's also not where you should schedule your daily swim.
This week's announcement of an agreement between the state and six Capital Region communities to reduce sewage discharges into the Hudson marks a big step toward reclaiming the river. And it underscores the value of investing in infrastructure improvements, even in an era of limited public resources.
Because it's not just that our rivers need cleaning. Across the country, we are allowing the decay of the infrastructure that was built during the period often called The American Century. If we fail to reverse that course, we will assure that the 21st century's leadership will indeed come from another corner of the globe.
Last year the American Society of Civil Engineers issued its quadrennial Report Card for America's Infrastructure, an assessment of 16 categories, from aviation to wastewater. The nation's overall grade: a barely passing D+. Here's why:
• One-third of our interstates and major highways are in poor or mediocre condition, making conditions so unsafe that roadways are a factor in one-third of American highway fatalities. Crashes cost the economy $230 billion a year.
• For the one-third of Americans who don't drive cars, the public transit infrastructure is a vital service, yet deficient and deteriorating transit systems cost $90 billion in lost productivity in 2010. In most places, there has been no recovery from the service cuts and fare increases that followed the Great Recession.
• One in nine of the nation's 600,000-plus bridges is structurally deficient. To eliminate the deficiency over the next 15 years, we must invest $20.5 billion a year, according to the Federal Highway Administration. We're $8 billion off that pace.
• The nation's rivers and canals, the hidden backbone of our freight system, carry the equivalent of 51 million truck trips a year. Yet most were built in the Eisenhower administration, and haven't been updated. Service delays rob business productivity.
• More than 140 million Americans use parks and outdoor recreation areas every day, but states and localities fell $18.5 billion short of needed investment in 2011, and the National Park Service faces an $11 billion maintenance backlog.
None of that, though, is as challenging as the investment needed to clean up our waterways. It will take almost $300 billion over the next 20 years to fix wastewater and stormwater systems. The plan announced this week for the Hudson, to be paid for mostly by the cities of Albany and Troy over the next 15 years, moves us toward that goal.
Crucially, the plan's largest single component is a $50 million disinfection system to kill harmful bacteria in a pipe known as "Big C" that handles wastewater for about three-quarters of the city of Albany. That alone could allow the Capital Region to shed the unenviable reputation as home to the one point along the 315-mile Hudson River most likely to be polluted by sewage.
Infrastructure fixes are undeniably expensive. The repairs and upgrades needed before 2020 could cost $3.6 trillion overall, ASCE's report said.
That must seem unfair to public officials. We rarely decide to re-elect politicians based on their support for fixing rusted bridge girders and potholed roads. They earn our votes easily by not spending all that money — instead, say, giving us tax cuts.
But a politician who hands out election year tax cuts while ignoring community infrasturcture needs is like a homeowner who puts off fixing a leaking roof to buy a sleek new car. Money is spent each way — either making you feel good for a while or helping secure your future for the long term.
Cleaning the Hudson, though, has the advantage of doing both. It's a long-term investment that will create jobs and preserve our communities.
And it will make my next kayak adventure on the river a lot more fun.