Over Half of Americans Worried About How Their Stormwater Is Managed, Survey Shows

HILLIARD, Ohio — Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE: WMS) (“ADS” or the “Company”), a leading provider of innovative water management solutions in the stormwater and onsite septic wastewater industries, today announced the results of a study on stormwater management. According to the ADS survey conducted online by The Harris Poll in November 2023 among over 2,000 U.S. adults 18+, more than half of Americans (51%) are concerned about the current infrastructure in place to manage stormwater within their communities.

“With the ever-increasing frequency of large-scale stormwater-related natural disasters, having a proper infrastructure in place to capture, convey, store and treat water has never been more important,” said ADS President and CEO Scott Barbour. “At ADS we focus on managing the entire life cycle of a raindrop, from the time it falls from the sky and hits the ground, to the time it is filtered, treated and returned to lakes and streams. This approach delivers the health and safety necessary to keep communities thriving.”

In addition to infrastructure concerns, survey findings also revealed.

There is confusion among U.S. adults about how water is managed. More than half of Americans (53%) do not know where water goes after it leaves their home, which would include how it is stored and treated before being returned to back into the environment.
When it comes to water, environmental impact is top of mind for most Americans. Fifty-eight percent of U.S. adults are concerned how stormwater is managed in their communities to ensure environmental stewardship and sustainability (i.e., transportation efficiency, energy usage, water reusage, etc.).
Climate change is believed to be outpacing stormwater management practices. Forty-three percent of Americans feel the stormwater management in their area is not keeping up with climate changes, emphasizing the need for stronger and more sustainable water management practices.

ADS is actively responding by continuing to develop solutions that reduce the damage from significant stormwater events. As part of this commitment, the company began construction on the world’s most advanced stormwater engineering, research and development facility located near the company’s headquarters in Hilliard, Ohio. The ADS Engineering and Technology Center will focus on product engineering, materials science and manufacturing technologies to create new and innovative products, identify the most sustainable materials – including with recycled plastics – and further develop the manufacturing process that enables greater efficiency in producing more cutting-edge stormwater solutions.

To learn more about how ADS manages the world’s most precious resource, water, through sustainable solutions, please visit https://www.adspipe.com/our-reason-is-water.