Maintain drinking water infrastructure and manage demand

Investing in long-term maintenance of drinking water systems is an ongoing challenge for many communities.^{{{Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, “An Assessment of Water Loss among Lake Michigan Permittees in Illinois,” 2014, http://www.cmap.illinois.gov/programs/water/supply-planning/loss.}}} Because water infrastructure is largely an underground asset, its maintenance needs are not as apparent as other community challenges. Addressing deferred maintenance and modernization — such as lead mitigation — can require substantial funding, and as the region’s infrastructure ages and faces increasing impacts from climate change, maintenance needs are anticipated to grow. CMAP supports state efforts to make the Public Water Supply Loan Program more accessible for communities and encourages the prioritization of projects based on realistic water demand projections and maintenance of existing water capacity before new capacity investments.

Managing water demand is another way community water suppliers can avoid expensive new expansion projects and focus on maintenance of existing assets. As outlined in Water 2050, foundational demand management strategies include annual water loss audits, full-cost pricing( Water rates set to recover the full cost of providing water service ) to set appropriate water rates based on infrastructure need, water reuse and conservation programs, and universal metering to accurately account and charge for water usage. For more information on full-cost pricing, see the Local governments should implement user fees strategy. Municipalities across the region are also updating ordinances and educating customers about conservation and efficiency in landscaping and watering.

Water affordability is a growing concern in many communities as continuing escalation of service and infrastructure costs translate into rising utility bills. Areas with vulnerable populations, such as low-income residents, people of color, and the elderly, are disproportionately affected. Water pricing should be sensitive to the ability of the consumer to pay, yet small utilities with a low-income customer base may struggle to achieve the appropriate rate structure that pays for the system. Water utility consolidation is one strategy to address these challenges. The Chicago region has hundreds of community water supply systems, most of which are publicly owned and managed by a municipality. Small water suppliers are more likely to face significant capital constraints for maintenance and upgrades and often struggle to meet state standards. Communities are already exploring ways to gain efficiencies of scale through collaboration and consolidation, and they should continue to investigate potential options among neighboring utilities.