Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
the 1920s last an average of 100 years, and pipes laid after
World War II last about 75 years.
The cost to consumers is huge. The government will have to
be involved in bearing the expense. Nonetheless, some of the
burden will fall on consumers. On average, the replacement
cost of water mains is about $6,300 per household. Factoring
in the cost of water treatment plants, pumps, and more, the
replacement cost values rise to just less than $10,000 per
household.
Demographic shifts affect economics of reinvestment. In some
older cities where population has declined, the per-capita
replacement value of water mains is more than three times
higher than the average in the sample.
Costs are constantly increasing. By 2030, the average utility
will have to spend three-and-a-half times as much on pipe
replacement due to wear-out as it spends today, and three
times as much on repairs as pipes age and become more
prone to breakage.
In the 20 utilities studied, infrastructure repair and replace-
ment will require additional revenue totaling about $6 billion
above current spending over the next 30 years. This ranges
from about $550 per household to almost $2,300 per house-
hold over the period, not including the cost of compliance
with new regulations.
Household impacts will be two to three times greater in
smaller water systems ($1,100 to $6,900 per household
over 30 years) because of the disadvantage of small scale
and the tendency for replacement needs to be less spread
out over time.
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Get the Lead Out
Another part of the problem is that for many years the standard
pipe used to transport drinking water throughout the United States
was made of lead. Of course, those pipes were in place before stud-
ies revealed the dangers associated with lead (including impaired
intelligence and physical development in children, and increased
risk of kidney problems, high blood pressure, and brain damage in
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