On Albuquerque’s appearance in the “our pipes are getting old!” discussion:

Albuquerque’s water and sewer utility, facing hundreds of millions of dollars in costs over the next decade to replace aging pipes and treatment plants, is considering a series of rate increases in the next five years.

When the last of the proposed rate hikes takes effect, the average residential customer’s bill would rise to $54 per month, up from $45 today, according to Mark Sanchez, executive director of the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority – an additional $108 per year for the average customer by 2017.

More than 400 miles of metro area water and sewer pipe are at high risk of failure, according to a study done for the water utility and the backlog of aging pipes that need replacement is growing because of inadequate funding.