The Sorry State of U.S. Water Infrastructure

Water has become more expensive in recent years and that is not likely to stop anytime soon,"Water prices will have to increase by 41 percent in the next five years to cover the costs of replacing aging water infrastructure and adapting to climate change," Sarah Frostenson reports in Vox. Not only because of lead leaching into water and the growing evidence of the health dangers of that contamination, but also because in many cases water costs are growing faster than wages and have been for decades. Many associate the need for new water infrastructure with Flint, Michigan, a community that is still dealing with a contaminated water crisis, but states like Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Kentucky, and Arkansas are especially vulnerable because of their poor populations will be hit hard by rising costs.

"After World War II, America went on something of an infrastructure kick, building an expansive network of water pipes in cities across the country. But now these pipes are more than 60 years old and in many instances are in desperate need of repair," Frostenson reports.