Customers Foot Bill As Water Infrastructure Weakens

The Environmental Protection Agency says the nation's water infrastructure is in deep disrepair. There are more than 700 water main breaks every day, the agency said.

Some experts say America is entering the era of replacement, meaning more water interruptions and higher water rates. The American Society of Civil Engineers grades the water infrastructure at a D-.

While Cam Cooley with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities wouldn't give the department a grade, he said Charlotte is in good shape.

“In our case, we started that back in the 90s. We've been replacing pipe (and) putting new lining in drinking water and wastewater pipe,” Cooley said.

Cooley said the department basically got ahead of the problem. In 1997, CMUD realized about 15 percent of its 4,000 miles of water lines needed to be replaced.

“We've replaced well over 100 miles of pipe that is 80, 90 years old that has gone through its life service and needed to go,” Cooley said.

Across the nation, experts say, thousands of 100-year-old water lines need to be replaced. And over the next 25 years, utility companies will spend around $334 billion to do it.

Ultimately, it's the customer who foots the bill.

Right now, CMUD said its customers pay nearly $10 million a year for pipe repair and replacement.

Cooley said customers shouldn’t expect their rates to drop over the years.

“Even though we have a very good head start on it, we're going to be in the same situation just because we know we're going to have a lot more pipe in the next 50 years that needs replacing,” Cooley said.

Currently, CMUD said, it responds to an average of about 1,000 water main breaks a year, but they aren’t necessarily because of old pipe.

More Information: Water/Wastewater Rate SurveyFive Ways To Save On Your Water Bill