In a Marketplace Sustainability article about two weeks ago, it is explained that even though people may be using less water by conserving, water rates can still go up. Why is that? Water utilities still have to clean water and send it to homes and businesses no matter how much or how little water is used, so they are responsible for paying for that. As the article states, “Because of fixed costs, the less water people use, the more these public utilities have to charge for it.”

Utilities around the United States are also focusing attention on fixing the aging infrastructure underground that delivers water to our homes and businesses, and that carries a cost too. AWWA’s CEO, David LaFrance, is quoted in the above mentioned article stating, “There’s massive needs for replacements. We estimate that over the next 25 years it’s a trillion dollar problem.”

To understand more about how your water bill works, visit EPA’s WaterSense page. To learn more about the need to fix our water infrastructure, visit AWWA’s infrastructure page.