A recent government report revealed an alarming state of disrepair across Ontario’s municipal infrastructure, including the municipal water infrastructure. What does this mean for Ontario residents like you? Here’s everything you need to know about the issues with Ontario’s municipal infrastructure, plus how a Berkey water filter can help protect you from potential municipal water issues.
What the Report Measured
A recent report from the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario reviewed the territory’s municipal infrastructure with the goal of assessing the current state of repair throughout assets owned by Ontario’s 444 municipalities.
This report focused on the following areas of municipal infrastructure:
- Roads and bridges
- Potable water
- Storm water and wastewater systems
- Parks and recreational facilities
- Social housing
- Solid waste disposal facilities
- Police stations
- Fire stations
- Public transit
The results were far from encouraging.
The report shows that nearly half of Ontario’s municipal infrastructure needs repair, and that includes the pipes and processing facilities providing water to your home.
The report measured around 90% of the territory’s municipal infrastructure assets, which were valued at near $437 billion. Of this, the FAO measures that 54.7% (give or take 5%). This leaves somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 to 50 percent of the infrastructure needing repair.
Between $45 and $59 Billion Needed to Restore All Infrastructure to a State of Good Repair
Worked out to a monetary value, this repair backlog equates to somewhere between $45 and $59 billion of spending to bring everything up to a state of good repair. This is a significant sum, one that’s unlikely to be worked into any single budget year.
Yet repair is absolutely needed: keeping equipment in good repair carries a cost, but waiting until infrastructure failure carries an exponentially greater one.
Water Infrastructure At Risk
The FAO further reported the repair backlog by category type. Here are the top seven categories:
- Municipal roads — $21.1 billion
- Other buildings and facilities — $9.5 billion
- Wastewater — $7.3 billion
- Potable water — $5.3 billion
- Bridges and culverts — $4.3 billion
- Storm water — $3.8 billion
- Transit — $1 billion
Within these figures lie some troubling values related to municipal water infrastructure. These numbers don’t reveal specific risks or show what might go wrong until repairs are completed. But certainly any signs of disrepair in a municipal water system carry risks. We’ve seen these risks play out across several high-profile municipalities in recent years. The ongoing crisis in Flint, Michigan (US) is just one example.
The most expedient resolution to these municipal repair needs is, of course, for the government to repair them. But in the meantime, consumers should take action to protect themselves wherever it’s possible to do so.
A Berkey Water Filter Protects You From Potential Issues with Municipal Water
Without regular testing, it’s impossible to know what may be leaking or leaching into the tap water at your home. But with $5.3 billion — minimum — in outstanding repairs to the municipal water supply, consumers are right to be concerned.
Purchasing a Berkey water filter is one step that any consumer can take right now to protect themselves from potential issues with municipal water. Berkey water filters purify and cleanse water from the widest range of pollutants and contaminants, offering you the best water filtration experience possible in a gravity filtration system. Call, email, or shop online today to get the Berkey water filter that best meets your needs.
