hat despite the data problems the amounts required would clearly run into billions. The Canadian Water and Wastewater Association reported that an annual investment of CAD 5.8 billion up to 2018 would be required for underground infrastructure. There would also be a CAD 28 billion infrastructure need for municipal water systems and CAD 60.4 billion debt for wastewater systems from 1997 to 2012. This was derived from statistics of the size of the industry, the population served and levels of service provided. The National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (1996) study found that existing funds are used to address only the critical infrastructure needs, leaving an unmet infrastructure need to ensure that the existing stock is maintained ranging from CAD 38 to 49 billion, and capital costs for the following 20 years would be in the order of CAD 70-90 billion. New capital demand will exceed CAD 41 billion by 2015. Therefore total capital requirements for water and wastewater infrastructure will be CAD 79-90 billion over the next 20 years. This assumes static market conditions; the effect of other measures to curtail demand could reduce the estimates by 10-16%. A Canada West Foundation report (Vander Ploeg, 2003) indicated that some 60% of the INFRASTRUCTURE TO 2030: TELECOM, LAND TRANSPORT, WATER AND ELECTRICITY - ISBN 92-64-02398-4 © OECD 2006 5. THE IMPACTS OF CHANGE ON THE LONG-TERM FUTURE DEMAND FOR WATER SECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE estimated shortfall between current and required funding of all municipal infrastructure would be required to bring the water infrastructure up to acceptable standards. Estimates of total infrastructure debt range between CAD 57 billion and CAD 125 billion (Vander Ploeg, 2003), implying amounts of between CAD 34 billion and CAD 75 billion for water infrastructure. Again this does not include current levels of funding but rather the accumulated shortfall. Infrastructure Canada (2004a) noted the growing difficulties in financing such investments, which is partly due to under-char