DC Water Can’t Rely on Ratepayers to Fund Tunnels- Brookings Report

DC Water’s quest to build miles of new tunnels as part of a federally mandated plan to reduce sewage overflows might be at risk if the agency relies solely on ratepayers to pay for it, a new study says.

The study by the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program said the cost of the Clean Rivers project has grown from an estimated $2.2 billion in 2005 to $2.6 billion today, and cost increases to retail, business and household ratepayers are expected to foot the bill.