Expert Water Panel Concludes We Need to Pay More for Safe Services

Water ultimately may be our most precious resource.  In fast growing Wake County, our water supply is relatively shallow in Raleigh and Eastern Wake towns.  Given growth projections, reports show that demand for water will exceed supply.  This really concerns WakeUP Wake County, so we’ve been strong advocates for conservation and efficiency programs.  Progress is being made, including new tiered water rates in Raleigh which should encourage water conservation by charging more for bigger users.

But at the moment we have enough water -- in fact, per capita water use is less now than in past years.  However, we have another looming, serious problem, and it’s underground.  Aging water and sewer pipes eventually will need replacing to the tune of $7 billion!  This is a national crisis, and federal funding for infrastructure has dried up (pun intended).  Our current water rates in Raleigh are pretty darned low compared to other cities our size (though Wake towns like Zebulon have higher rates).  Ever thought how little your water bill is compared to your phone or cable bills?  The fact is, what we are paying for water and sewer isn’t covering the cost for those pipes to be replaced.  If we don’t upgrade old pipes, we’ll have a major public health crisis on our hands – think sewage disaster.  Ironically, if we conserve even more water right now, we’ll have a bigger financial shortfall.

This is a real quandary for those who care about sustainability and long-term planning.  The Water Utility Transition Advisory Taskforce (the WUTAT) -- a group of water infrastructure experts appointed by Raleigh’s City Council -- recently presented their findings and recommendations about planning for water supply and financial needs.  The WUTAT made two key points:  First, be prepared to raise water and sewer rates more over the coming years, and make sure that rates reflect true costs of providing services.  For example, it actually costs more to provide wastewater treatment than drinking water treatment, but we don’t actually pay more for it.  Second, let’s see how our current water conservation and tiered water rates work and affect water demand before we take the next steps towards conservation.  This seems reasonable for now because it doesn’t preclude us from future action.  The WUTAT also found our public utilities department is first rate, and that they have done a pretty good job at environmental stewardship.

WakeUP Wake County will continue to advocate for making smart decisions to plan for growth, and to pay for the costs of growth in ways that are fair to all of us.  We all need to wake up to the realities of our most precious resource – water.

Karen Rindge is Executive Director of WakeUP Wake County.

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