Mayors Seek $50 Billion to Upgrade U.S. Water, Sewer Systems
Brendan A. McGrail
BusinessWeek
03/16/2010
Congress must provide local governments an additional $5 billion a year over the next decade, more than twice what it spent in 2008, to avert breakdowns in water and sewer systems nationwide, the U.S. Conference of Mayors said in a report.
The average U.S. household’s water and sewer rates may double or even quadruple by 2028 without additional federal grants and loans, the mayors said in a statement today, without providing specifics.
Americans are likely to face more service disruptions as rising population, urbanization and aging equipment all help to intensify the burden on municipalities, according to the report.
“Our federal water and wastewater programs must be reformed and directly fund our cities to meet these challenges,” said Tom Cochran
