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   The widespread disrepair of the U.S. water and wastewater infrastructure will cost businesses $147 billion over the next decade and will cost the average American household $900 per year in higher water rates and lower wages, according to a recent report by the Economic Development Research Group, Inc. (EDR; Boston, MA) in collaboration with the environmental consultancy Downstream Strategies (Morgantown, WV). The report, titled Failure to Act: The Economic Impact of Current Investment Trends in Water and Wastewater Treatment Infrastructure, concluded that the gap between what is spent on water/wastewater infrastructure and what is required to meet the nation’s rehabilitation and upgrade needs will reach $84 billion by 2020. “We’ve all seen the impact aging water and wastewater infrastructure has on our daily lives,” said EDR’s Steven Landau, the lead author of the report. “From broken water mains to ‘boil water’ alerts, failing to invest in this vital part of our country's infrastructure has clear economic consequences. The longer we wait to make needed repairs and upgrades, the more acute these problems become and the higher the costs to American families and businesses.”