Throughout the Great Lakes region and across the U.S., water systems are aging.
In some communities, this means water bills that residents can’t afford or water that’s unsafe to drink. It means that vulnerable systems are even more at risk in a changing climate. From shrinking cities and small towns to the comparatively thriving suburbs, the true cost of water has been deferred for decades. As the nation prepares to pour hundreds of billions of federal dollars into rescuing water systems, the Great Lakes News Collaborative investigates the true cost of water in Michigan.
Water's True Cost
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The quality of Michigan's water infrastructure and the consequences of failure, while still real and apparent, are no longer being ignored. -
The Great Lakes News Collaborative asked state and national experts how Michigan could break the cycle of underfunding and poor decision-making that has left water systems across Michigan in sorry shape. -
Customers get cheaper, cleaner water when communities share the cost of infrastructure. But Michigan's experience shows how political conflicts and logistical challenges can complicate the math. -
More communities gain access to the largest federal infusion in a half century. -
Rising rates hurt the state’s poorest residents. -
Cuts in state and federal funding has contributed to Michigan's drinking water problems. It's a long-simmering problem that won't be solved by an influx of one-time federal dollars. -
Michigan’s lack of septic system regulations is causing problems for some of its most pristine lakesSome Michigan lakes that were once the homes of scattered summer cottages are now lined with year-round homes. That's increased the number of septic systems and the amount of wastewater they're handling. Now, some of those lakes are seeing areas of high E. coli bacteria and new vegetation growth, likely from increased amounts of human fertilizer. -
Michigan cities rich and poor, big and small have been delaying maintenance on their water systems for decades. Now, even wealthy towns are suffering the consequences of past reluctance to pay for water system upkeep. -
Cities around the Great Lakes region struggle with the cost of water maintenance and operation as their populations decline. -
As some rural towns lose population and government funds shrink, their drinking water systems are one failure away from crisis.
