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 the Great Lakes region and beyond.
Great Lakes Now Presents
Episode 2205: Water's True Cost
The Great Lakes News Collaborative looks at the cost of water in the region and beyond.
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Water’s True Cost
The quality of Michigan’s water infrastructure and the consequences of failure, while still real and apparent, are no longer being ignored.

Ontario faces uneven investment in water infrastructure
While much-needed money is being directed to aging drinking water infrastructure, stormwater and sewer systems have been neglected.

Even in Canada, where water prices are low, aging infrastructure and rising costs are a problem
Water, while still overall affordable in Canada compared to other countries, is growing more expensive as the cost of neglecting infrastructure for decades comes due.

Five fixes for Michigan’s drinking water woes
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.

Michigan’s ‘Very Big Opportunity’ in Infrastructure Windfall
More communities gain access to the largest federal infusion in a half century.

Some Michigan water systems are overbuilt, underfunded. Are mergers the answer?
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.

Short-changing Michigan local governments has resulted in deteriorating water systems and other services
Many of Michigan’s cities are reaching a crisis point because of a decline in federal dollars for water and sewer infrastructure made worse by the state’s centralized taxing system.

Michigan’s lack of septic system regulations is causing problems for some of its most pristine lakes
The cost of updating sewer systems in growing communities is either a hefty price tag or polluted waters.

Michigan’s 20th Century water systems too big for its shrinking city populations
Cities around the Great Lakes region struggle with the cost of water maintenance and operation as their populations decline.

Water woes loom for Michigan suburbs, towns after decades of disinvestment
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.

Many Rural Towns Have Neglected Drinking Water Systems for Decades
Rural Michigan’s shrinking populations, growing poverty, and diminished state and federal assistance have fueled a crisis of underfunded drinking water infrastructure.

After Decades of Neglect, Bill Coming Due for Michigan’s Water Infrastructure
Federal and state governments begin to reverse course on underinvestment to address water’s true cost.

Great Lakes News Collaborative examines Water’s True Cost
For the whole month of May, Great Lakes Now will be looking at aging water infrastructure and the rising literal cost of water as part of a series from the Great Lakes News Collaborative.

Join the Conversations: Events on “Water’s True Cost” will answer your questions about water infrastructure
As the Great Lakes News Collaborative prepares to publish and air stories about water’s true cost, get these free, virtual events on your calendar to learn more about your drinking water.

Water’s True Cost: Episode Sneak Peek Watch Party
Join GLN Producer Anna Sysling for a conversation with several guests who all played a part in this episode’s story about the complicated financial, public health and infrastructural implications of our drinking water.
More from the Great Lakes News Collaborative:

State of Michigan sues Gerald R. Ford Airport Authority for PFAS pollution
The Michigan Attorney General’s office sued the Grand Rapids airport authority on behalf of EGLE over a dispute on responsibility for PFAS contamination.

Government watchdog: EPA slow to raise alarm in Benton Harbor water crisis
Government auditors say EPA officials failed to follow a new “elevation policy” that’s meant to generate a stronger response to the most urgent environmental and public health threats.

Grassroots greenspace projects expand Detroit’s open space network
Activists aim to enrich their neighbors’ quality of life and deepen their connection to nature.

Chicago Suburbs, Running Out of Water, Will Tap Lake Michigan
America’s groundwater is now running dry where water is abundant.

Minnesota Tribe Sets Enforceable Rules To Safeguard Wild Rice and Water Supply
Ineffective voluntary pollution prevention practices are set aside for mandatory regulation.
What’s being done about plastic trash getting into the Great Lakes?
As researchers learn more about the hazards of plastics and microplastics in the Great Lakes, it’s becoming clear Canada and the U.S. need to cooperate in stopping the pollution.

Pentagon to address PFAS at Wurtsmith base near Oscoda
Military officials announced they will install groundwater treatment systems around the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base to clean up chemical compounds linked to serious health issues.

Toxins from cyanobacterial blooms can be airborne, but the threat to public health is unclear
Researchers are studying how much of cyanobacterial toxins become airborne. They say breathing in the toxins is much worse than ingesting them.