By Dave Velez- Frustrated Taxpayer|Published Dec 16, 2025

To the Editor,

As a lifelong resident of Waterbury, Connecticut, I feel compelled to speak out about the recent failures of our city’s water system infrastructure.

This is not the first time Waterbury has experienced broken pipes. However, it is the first time the failures have occurred on such a widespread and disruptive scale. For decades, across multiple city administrations, our water system has been neglected. Instead of addressing core structural problems, the city has repeatedly relied on temporary fixes—Band-Aids applied to crater-sized wounds.

As someone who has lived through numerous water main breaks, I have watched this pattern repeat itself again and again. Like many residents, I am deeply frustrated—not only as a citizen, but as a taxpayer.

Waterbury residents are heavily taxed. We pay property taxes, water taxes, sewer taxes, and other fees, yet the infrastructure those taxes are meant to support has been allowed to deteriorate. The crisis we are experiencing today is the result of long-term neglect.

This outcome should not surprise anyone. There have been warnings and meetings over the years, but decisive action was postponed while taxes continued to rise. The city ignored the warning signs until the system reached a breaking point.

Ignoring infrastructure is like ignoring a car’s check-engine light. Instead of investing in routine maintenance, you wait until the engine fails and the repair costs skyrocket. That is exactly what has happened with Waterbury’s water system.

I also ask why neither the State of Connecticut nor the City of Waterbury has declared a state of emergency and formally sought federal assistance. Many of these pipes are more than a century old and urgently need replacement. This is not about politics—it is about public health and safety. Hospitals, businesses, and families have all been impacted by the lack of safe and reliable water.

This crisis also raises a larger question: where are our tax dollars going? While funding is allocated to various initiatives, core infrastructure has been repeatedly overlooked. Infrastructure must be a top priority—it is the foundation of a functioning city.

Finally, once this water emergency is resolved, city leadership should immediately turn its attention to other critical systems, including the electrical grid. Preventative modernization now could prevent the next major crisis.

Waterbury cannot afford to continue reacting to disasters that were both foreseeable and preventable.

Sincerely,
Dave Velez
Waterbury, CT

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