In this op-ed in the Gotham Gazette, CUF researcher Adam Forman argues that Mayor de Blasio deserves credit for pushing to increase the city’s water rates by 3.2 percent. He points out how investment in the city’s water infrastructure has declined in recent years. As a result, the city experienced 513 water main breaks across the five boroughs last year, a 39 percent increase from 2012. 

Considering the high cost of maintaining the city’s essential water infrastructure (recent upgrades had a pricetag of $10 billion), Forman urges Mayor de Blasio to create additional streams of revenue to modernize New York’s aging water pipes. He suggests eliminating rental payments charged to the city’s Water Boards and incentivizing green infrastructure on private property through stormwater management fees. 

Click here to read the full op-ed in the Gotham Gazette.