The Buried Network: Why Water Pipes Are Aging

Under almost every city street runs a hidden network of pipes. Most people never see it. Some of these pipes bring clean drinking water into homes. Others carry used water and sewage away to be treated. Because the pipes are buried, it is easy to forget they are there. That changes the moment one of them breaks.

Many of these pipes are old. Some were laid more than a hundred years ago. Iron and other early materials rust and crack as the decades pass. In the fictional town of Cranmoor, about 120 miles of pipe lie under the streets, and a few sections date back to the early 1900s. Cranmoor is not unusual. Towns and cities across the country face the same problem.

Engineers keep track of how the country's systems are holding up. In its 2025 report card, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the nation's drinking water a grade of C-minus. It gave wastewater a D-plus. Those grades reflect pipes and plants that are past the age they were built to reach. The strain shows up in the ground. Across the United States, a water main breaks about every two minutes.

Fixing the network is expensive. A federal survey estimates the country needs about $625 billion for drinking-water systems over the next twenty years. About two-thirds of that need is for the distribution pipes that carry water the last stretch to homes. Utilities pay for most of this work through the rates that customers are charged. Those rates have been climbing. Combined water and sewer bills rose about 24 percent between 2019 and 2024, and about 5.1 percent in 2025.

A utility cannot dig up every street at once. So it follows a careful process. First, it builds an inventory. That is a map of where the pipes are, how old they are, and what they are made of. Second, it assesses the condition of the pipes. Crews listen for the sound of hidden leaks, track how often each line has broken, and sometimes dig up a short section to inspect it. Third, it ranks the pipes by risk. The pipes most likely to fail, or most damaging if they do, move to the top of the list. Fourth, it chooses a method for each pipe. The utility can replace the pipe entirely, or it can line the old pipe with a new inner layer, which is often cheaper and faster. Finally, it plans the funding. The cost is usually spread over many years so that rates do not jump all at once.

Each choice comes with limits. Replacing a pipe under a busy street can block traffic and cost a great deal. Lining a pipe costs less, but it does not always last as long as a full replacement. A utility has to weigh cost, safety, and how much the work will disrupt daily life. At the same time, it has to keep water flowing to every home while the work goes on. None of this is quick. Still, planning the repairs ahead of time usually costs less than waiting for pipes to fail on their own.

1. According to the passage, what are the two main jobs that the buried pipes do?
2. What grade did the American Society of Civil Engineers give the nation's drinking water in its 2025 report card?
3. The passage describes the ordered process a utility follows to manage aging pipes. List the first three steps in order.
4. Why does a utility rank pipes by risk instead of simply replacing them in the order they were first built? Use details from the passage.
5. The passage says a utility must weigh several things when it chooses how to fix a pipe. Name two of those criteria or limits, and explain why each one matters.
6. The passage says planning repairs ahead of time usually costs less than waiting for pipes to fail. Use details from the passage to explain why waiting could end up costing more.