Council member Kathryn Sorenson recently joined the Public Water Works podcast to discuss water scarcity, infrastructure challenges, and what it takes to maintain reliable water service in regions that depend on limited supplies. Drawing on her experience of leading water policy and utility strategy in the Southwest, she explains how water availability, growth, and long-term planning shape a community’s economic stability and resilience.
The episode highlights how aging water infrastructure in many communities is deteriorating faster than it is being repaired or replaced. Chronic underinvestment creates a slow-moving crisis that remains invisible until failures occur, leaving future generations with higher costs and greater risk. In fast growing cities, long pipeline systems and ongoing maintenance needs increase per-customer costs over time, even when developers initially finance system build-out. Reliable service ultimately requires sustained investment in upkeep, upgrades, and resilience – even when that means rate adjustments.
Kathryn notes that long-term water security depends on realistic planning and shared responsibility. Federal funding can support local needs, but it cannot replace the foundational responsibility of communities to understand the value of water service and invest accordingly. Delivering safe, reliable water requires transparency, sound asset management, and the operational discipline to maintain systems over decades.
Water is not just another utility service, it is the foundation of every community. Ensuring its reliability demands continues attention and investment..
Listen to the full episode here.