EXPERTS SAY DECADES OF REFUSAL to fully-fund water infrastructure is catching up with Michigan’s communities. The likeliest fix is also the least popular: Raise drinking water rates enough to upgrade water systems, and then continue raising them to keep pace with inflation and prepare for the next big expense.
The scale of Michigan’s drinking water infrastructure challenge is staggering: A 2016 report by Lansing-based Public Sector Consultants estimated that Michigan needed to more than double water infrastructure spending, to as much as $1 billion annually through 2030. A separate commission appointed by then-Gov. Rick Snyder reached similar conclusions.
"Current taxes and user fees do not raise sufficient revenue and the state lacks sustainable funding sources to build infrastructure systems for today, as well as for the future," that commission wrote.
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