In many U.S. communities the system of water and sewer pipes, mains and treatment plants that deliver drinking water and sanitation are aging and in need of repair. Aging infrastructure places the community's drinking water at risk of contamination and we see this on a weekly basis around the US with reported bacteria outbreaks and boiling requirements. This is not an problem that can be ignored. The American Water Works Association estimates that keeping up with drinking water infrastructure needs alone, repairing and replacing old pipes and laying new ones for a growing population, will cost $1.7 trillion dollars over the next 25 years.

Tap Water Pipe Repairs Will Cost Households Up To $550 More Per Year

Because water delivery is funded primarily from utility bills, AWWA estimates the increased cost for repair and expansion of drinking water systems at $100 - $550 or more per household. Estimates vary dramatically at the local level, depending on the age of the community’s pipes and the size of the system:

“In the most affected small communities, the study suggests that a typical three-person household could see its drinking water bill increase by as much as $550 per year above current levels . . . In the largest water systems, costs can be spread over a large population base. Needed investments would be consistent with annual per household cost increases ranging from roughly $75 to more than $100 per year by the mid-2030s . . .”

Needed repairs are "going to challenge many communities, particularly those where they've been experiencing economic problems, and also in some places where the population has declined. You have a smaller customer base that has to pay a bigger bill, and that's never a welcome circumstance," Aurel Arndt, general manager of the Lehigh County Authority and advisory council member, explained to the Huffington Post.

Population Growth and Crumbling Sewers Drive Water Bills Up More

In the Northeast and Midwest, repair of existing systems will be the primary cost increase driver. But in the West and South, where communities have newer systems but growing populations, laying pipes to new development will be a much bigger component of water bill increases.

Regional Water Infrastructure Costs

"The needs uncovered in 'Buried No Longer' are large, but they are not insurmountable," said AWWA Executive Director David LaFrance. "When you consider everything that tap water delivers -- public health protection, fire protection, support for the economy, the quality of life we enjoy – we owe it to future generations to confront the infrastructure challenge today." 

The American Water Works Association is a membership organization of the nation’s public utility companies and is advocating increased federal funding for water infrastructure.