Editorial: The Rising Cost of Water Using It and Flushing It The
chart below recently caught my attention (1). It shows the
changes in prices over time of residential “utilities,” that is,
electricity, natural gas, water and sewage, and telephones. My
attention normally goes directly to the familiar energy
utilities, electricity and natural gas. But wait! Water and
sewage prices—they are typically billed together—have
outstripped all others. The prices for water and sewage have
been climbing so rapidly that water-related expenditures now
exceed those for natural gas and are about one third as large as
the electricity bill. We can expect water costs to grow faster
than energy because natural gas prices are declining while our
decrepit water infrastructure is demanding huge new investments
to chase smaller amounts of water (thanks to droughts and
climate change). So perhaps it’s time to redefine
“weatherization” to include conserving water in homes. Most
measures to save water heating energy already reduce wate