Water infrastructure costs will double from roughly $13 billion a year today to almost $30 billion (in 2010 dollars) annually by the 2040s, according to the American Water and Wastewater Association. This means the investment needed for buried drinking water infrastructure in the United States totals more than $1 trillion between now and 2035. They predict that the cost will be met primarily through markedly higher water bills and local fees.

“Buried No Longer: Confronting America’s Water Infrastructure Challenge” is a call to action for utilities, consumers and policy makers and recognizes that the need to replace pipe in the ground “puts a growing stress on communities that will continue to increase for decades to come.”

Although the report is American, many Canadian water utilities are likely in a similar condition.