Can America Afford the High Cost of Replacing Infrastructure?

A new study by Michigan State University claims nearly 36 percent of U.S. households will be unable to afford water in five years if water rates continue rising at projected amounts.The extensive amount of aging infrastructure needing repair or replacement, climate change, and declining urban populations are among the contributing factors says Elizabeth Mack, assistant professor in the university’s Department of Geography, Environment and Spatial Sciences and one of the study’s authors.“In cities across the United States, water affordability is becoming an increasingly critical issue,” Mack told MSU Today. “The hope is that enhanced awareness of this issue in the