Korrin Petersen Examines Water Infrastructure Challenges Affecting Massachusetts Housing Development

By Korrin Petersen  •  August 5, 2026

Massachusetts cannot meet its ambitious housing production goals without addressing another pressing challenge: aging water and wastewater infrastructure. In a recent op-ed in the Boston Business Journal, Korrin Petersen examines how outdated infrastructure has become a significant barrier to new housing development and explores potential funding solutions to help communities support future growth. Below is an excerpt:

The bottom line: Our infrastructure is old and needs investment if we, as a state, are going to rely on it to support housing growth.

For cities and towns, water and wastewater-treatment upgrades, construction and expansions are enormously expensive.  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates there is a nationwide need for wastewater-infrastructure investments of $478 billion. In Massachusetts in 2022, we faced a need of $21.7 billion to modernize existing wastewater infrastructure.

Read the op-ed “New housing requires upgrades to water infrastructure” in the Boston Business Journal (subscription required).