The U.S. will need to spend more than $600 billion over the next 20 years to improve the water infrastructure of several mid-size and large cities with a declining population, according to a report released Monday.
The Government Accountability Office released a report on the water infrastructure needs of cities in the Midwest and Northeast with declining populations, and found that there is going to be a reckoning soon for the country. The report cites an Environmental Protection Agency report that estimates about $655 billion is needed for water and wastewater infrastructure in the next two decades.
According to the report, there are 99 cities that have declining populations among 674 large and midsize cities in the U.S. Those cities are experiencing higher poverty and unemployment rates, the report stated.
The major infrastructure needs in these areas need to be explored in greater depth, the study stated, but generally reflect the needs of other similarly sized cities. Repairs to pipelines, replacement of old pipes, improvements to wastewater systems to control overflows, and rightsizing water systems for aging cities that now have smaller populations were all listed as top concerns for water utilities.
There is a challenge to update infrastructure in areas where low-income residents live because most utilities pay for these upgrades with increased rates, according to the report. In low-income areas, affordability of water systems becomes an issue.
“Representatives we interviewed from seven of 12 utilities expressed concern about the affordability of future rate increases for low-income households,” the report stated.
The report was requested by Rep. Paul Tonko, D-New York, in the wake of the water crisis in Flint, Mich. Flint was among the 99 cities with a declining population in recent decades, down to about 100,000 from a peak of 196,000 in the 1970s.
Flint’s residents are unable to drink their tap water without a filter. In April 2014, the city government, which then was controlled by the state, switched water sources from Lake Huron to the Flint River in an effort to save money.
The river was so polluted and corrosive that it caused lead pipes leading to residents’ homes to deteriorate, contaminating the drinking water in the city. The state was placed under federal and state states of emergency. The federal state of emergency lifted in August, though some federal agencies remain in the city.
Recent test results show homes still have high amounts of lead in their drinking water and only a few in the city have had their lead pipes removed.
