Water loss is a growing problem, especially in shrinking US cities
Newsy
Older industrial communities often don't have the revenue to keep up aging oversized water infrastructure.
Communities across the U.S. are losing trillions of gallons of drinking water from old, leaky infrastructure, according to new reporting from The Associated Press.
Some of the hardest-hit communities are in older industrial communities, where declining job prospects and declining populations have reduced available municipal funds and left aging, oversized water infrastructure behind.
Some places in Chicago lose 40% of their treated water to leaks. Some systems in Georgia lose as much as 80%.
In Jackson, Mississippi, the water system failed for more than 100,000 people in 2022, leaving them to rely on bottled water for more than a month.
Civil experts tell the Associated Press communities often have to spend dwindling resources on other priorities, like fire departments.
