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It should be noted that the St. Louis Stormwater Drainage System was built in the 1910s and 1920s. For context, most American infrastructure was built with the
by jjk166 4y ago
It should be noted that the St. Louis Stormwater Drainage System was built in the 1910s and 1920s. For context, most American infrastructure was built with the expectation of a ~50 year lifespan. While upgrades have been made in the intervening decades, most have been towards water treatment to reduce pollution and public health risks. In fact about half of the drainage outlets have been blocked off over the years to reduce untreated water runoff. The deficiency of the system has long been a known problem, and there are multibillion dollar plans to replace this system, but even in the best case scenario these new drainage tunnels will not be operational until the 2030s.
- asdff 4y agoThe lifespan issue is significant. The suburb I grew up in is doomed because of this. 14 thousand people live in it but they don't generate enough tax revenue to retrofit the entire storm sewer system much less square the budget very well as it is. The storm sewer system is increasingly overcapacity and in need of more maintenance with these larger storms dumping more water at once. You can't exactly add more apartments to generate more tax revenue in an area where no one wants to invest in since there isn't any job growth to speak of either. This is the rust belt. The city has several huge lots and ample commercial and industrial property that they've been trying to have developed for decades now, and about the only interest they've gotten is an amazon warehouse and a carvana. The walmart actually left town already.
- outworlder 4y ago> the suburb I grew up in is doomed because of this. 14 thousand people live in it but they don't generate enough tax revenue Yeap. It's pretty much a feature of suburbs. They don't generate nearly enough revenue to pay for their infrastructure. The only solution is to pack them more tightly and mix and match with businesses.
- asdff 4y agoWell that's the thing, you can't just pack them more tightly. Maybe in places with demand, but not here. There is no demand. Shops open and they close before long. Derelict properties are razed and left as vacant lots because there's no interest in investing on renovating. The major city this suburb feeds into is half its historical population peak, still reeling from white flight in the 1960s.