on the morning of december 23, 2008, drivers in suburban maryland were confronted with a torrent of water…

on the morning of december 23, 2008, drivers in suburban maryland were confronted with a torrent of water rushing down river road. somewhere beneath the pavement, a sixty - six - inch water main ruptured, allowing some 150,000 gallons per minute to cascade onto the road in standing waves three to four feet high. rescue crews launched from boat, fire engine, and helicopter were able to rescue all stranded motorists and their passengers. luckily no one was hurt. following a four - month forensic investigation, the washington suburban sanitary commission determined that the cause of the water main break could be traced back to its original installation in 1965. at forty - three years of age, the pipe lurking beneath river road was relatively young compared to many still in use in areas of the country that are easily twice that age, or older. the nations water infrastructure—the pipes, treatment plants, and other critical components that deliver drinking water and remove and treat wastewater—is aging. age and deterioration are taking a toll. every year across the country, there are approximately 240,000 water main breaks. as many as 75,000 yearly sanitary sewer overflows discharge three to ten billion gallons of untreated wastewater, leading to some 5,500 illnesses due to exposures to contaminated recreational waters. epa researchers are taking action to meet the challenges of the nations aging water infrastructure. which quote in paragraphs 6 - 8 supports the claim that the epa is working to help communities finance improvements to their water infrastructure? a. \engineers and scientists in the epas aging water infrastructure research program are working to identify critical research needs.\ b. \epa works with collaborators and stakeholders to conduct projects that will fill identified aging drinking water and wastewater research gaps.\ c. \the agencys report... identifies a potential $500 billion gap in funding by the year 2020, large part due to aging.\ d. \the application of new technologies and management practices from this research could also narrow the large funding gap.\

on the morning of december 23, 2008, drivers in suburban maryland were confronted with a torrent of water rushing down river road. somewhere beneath the pavement, a sixty - six - inch water main ruptured, allowing some 150,000 gallons per minute to cascade onto the road in standing waves three to four feet high. rescue crews launched from boat, fire engine, and helicopter were able to rescue all stranded motorists and their passengers. luckily no one was hurt. following a four - month forensic investigation, the washington suburban sanitary commission determined that the cause of the water main break could be traced back to its original installation in 1965. at forty - three years of age, the pipe lurking beneath river road was relatively young compared to many still in use in areas of the country that are easily twice that age, or older. the nations water infrastructure—the pipes, treatment plants, and other critical components that deliver drinking water and remove and treat wastewater—is aging. age and deterioration are taking a toll. every year across the country, there are approximately 240,000 water main breaks. as many as 75,000 yearly sanitary sewer overflows discharge three to ten billion gallons of untreated wastewater, leading to some 5,500 illnesses due to exposures to contaminated recreational waters. epa researchers are taking action to meet the challenges of the nations aging water infrastructure. which quote in paragraphs 6 - 8 supports the claim that the epa is working to help communities finance improvements to their water infrastructure? a. \engineers and scientists in the epas aging water infrastructure research program are working to identify critical research needs.\ b. \epa works with collaborators and stakeholders to conduct projects that will fill identified aging drinking water and wastewater research gaps.\ c. \the agencys report... identifies a potential $500 billion gap in funding by the year 2020, large part due to aging.\ d. \the application of new technologies and management practices from this research could also narrow the large funding gap.\

Answer

Brief Explanations:

The claim is about the EPA helping communities finance water - infrastructure improvements. Option B mentions the EPA working with collaborators and stakeholders on projects related to water infrastructure, which directly supports the claim. Option A focuses on research needs identification, Option C on funding gap identification, and Option D on how research can narrow the funding gap, but not on financing improvements directly.

Answer:

B. "‘EPA works with collaborators and stakeholders to conduct projects that will fill identified aging drinking water and wastewater research gaps.’"