Photo Slideshow: America’s Water Infrastructure Shows Its Age

While the effects of America’s aging plumbing and water supply systems are readily apparent, what to do about the infrastructure is not.

From small water-supply systems in the Colonial Era to massive investments in reservoirs, pumps, pipes, and treatment plants in the 20th century, America’s water infrastructure has become more complex. Now, at the start of the 21st century, many of those systems need maintenance and repairs.

Photos courtesy of the Nebraska State Historical Society; Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division; Chicago History Museum; Jet Lowe for the Historic American Engineering Record project; the New York City Department of Environmental Protection; Alex McLean for the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority; and Circle of Blue’s J. Carl Ganter. This slideshow was made to accompany reporter Brett Walton’s article, America’s Water Infrastructure Shows Its Age — The National Debate About How to Pay for Repairs. Contact Brett Walton