Whatchya Drinkin'?

With the release of the Canadian Infrastructure Report Card, drinking water was the class troublemaker receiving the poorest ranking.

The report card assesses the condition of infrastructure in four categories: drinking water, wastewater, storm water and municipal roads. Drinking water ranked 15.4 per cent as fair with a suggested replacement cost of $25.9 billion or $2,082 per household. The replacement cost is based on how much it would cost to bring the infrastructure at fair or below up to "good" condition.

"Calgary is in a better position than much of the country when it comes to drinking water and wastewater collection and treatment because of major investments over the past decade," said Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi. "However, those investments created enormous debt for The City of Calgary which we are currently addressing. And, in a growing city like Calgary, transportation and public transit continue to be major priorities."

Canadian wastewater received a mark of 30.1 per cent; storm water a mark of 23.4 per cent and municipal roads received the highest mark of 52.6 per cent.

"Cities are responsible for 60 per cent of the infrastructure in Canada, yet we lack the long-term, sustainable funding they need to build and maintain this infrastructure," Nenshi said. "In 2014, $2 billion in federal funding for municipal infrastructure will run out and a new federal plan must be designed to help communities like Calgary meet infrastructure challenges while creating jobs, building a strong economy and maintaining a high quality of life for all Canadians."

What do you think should be the priority in Calgary's development?

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