A National Water Crisis Is on the Verge of Gushing

By Marianne Lavelle Posted U.S.News & World Report 5/27/07
"...The brunt of the problem is borne by the poor on every continent; those who have the resources, like that flashy conspicuous wealth capital in the desert, Las Vegas, grab all the water they can find. In less arid parts of the United States, Americans take tap water for granted, but that's only because of hundreds of thousands of miles of underground pipe laid generations ago, much of it now decaying.

Studies by government, environmentalists, and utilities agree that cities and towns will need to spend $250 billion to $500 billion more over the next 20 years to maintain the drinking water and waste-water systems we equate with modern living. The only debate is how to pay for it, in a country accustomed to paying about $2.50 per 1,000 gallons—the lowest price for tap water in the developed world..."