In the Chicago Tri-State metro-region, and in particular the City of Chicago, the prices many consumers pay for water and waste services are disconnected from the cost of delivery and impact on the environment. The wastewater system faces problems related to ageing infrastructure, including combined sewer overflow events in older systems where storm runoff combines with the sewer system. Solid waste service delivery does not yet encourage recycling, and fees for most customers are low and do not fully reflect the costs of collecting solid waste. Although all customers in the metro-region pay higher bills as their water usage increases, fewer than one in seven are subject to rates specifically structured to discourage high rates of water usage. Seventy-nine% of customers in the region are charged according to a uniform rate structure, meaning each additional increment of water consumed is charged at the same rate as the previous increment. Only 9% of customers incur increasing block rates (meaning the price paid for each block of water increases as their total usage increases) while 14% actually receive price discounts as their water usage increases.