Even as public awareness about scarcity and water quality problems grows, there is no political support for increasing the price of water, the Strategist says. The report predicts it will take a series of local crises before support grows for the capital expenditures required to improve aging infrastructure, particularly in large metropolitan centers where the needs are highest yet the tax base is shrinking.

?EUR??,,????'??These required billions and billions of investment dollars represent a huge and unresolved coming crisis for this country.?EUR??,,????'?? The report identifies increased efficiency in water use as a new source of water and the greatest opportunity to extend the overall availability of water.