Water main breaks cost American taxpayers billions of dollars a year. They threaten to get worse if cities don’t ramp up investment in their crumbling water systems. But policy makers in Washington and Columbus largely have remained silent on renewing century-old water supplies, leaving communities such as Toledo to fend for themselves.

The Toledo area has endured a slight uptick in water main breaks this year. There have been 135 in the city, including one last week that temporarily halted water service to the downtown Blade building and put the building under a boil advisory. Had the main broken near an apartment building, residents would have found themselves without safe water for more than a week. That shouldn’t be acceptable in any community.

Some of Toledo’s pipes date to 1873 and urgently need to be replaced, city public utilities commissioner Donald Moline told The Blade’s editorial page. To pay for main replacement and other capital improvements, the Public Utilities Department is raising water rates by 13.2 percent a year through 2017 and by 4.5 percent in 2018.

But even these steep increases are enough only to replace pipes at a rate of 0.5 percent per year, half the ideal replacement rate. The city has replaced a very small portion of its water mains so far, Mr. Moline said.

According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, about 240,000 water main breaks occur in the United States each year. Water systems across the country need to be repaired and replaced at a much higher rate than they are now. Many pipes are fixed only after an emergency such as a water main break, which ends up costing local governments more than what they would pay for upkeep and capital improvements.

Federal aid to water systems has declined in recent years, forcing cash-strapped local communities such as Toledo to pick up the tab. Too often, local water departments can’t come up with the resources to replace pipes that are long past their expiration date, and repair infrastructure only in an emergency.

“A lot of the older systems were built with federal money, but that money doesn’t exist anymore,” Mr. Moline said.

Toledo’s problems are compounded by the threat of algae blooms in Lake Erie, which poisoned the city’s water supply last summer and forced residents to go for days without palatable tap water. Lawmakers must pass a strong bill to prevent such crises. But Toledo — and the rest of the nation — will need a lot more than that to ensure stable access to clean, safe water.

A few forward-thinking cities have developed water systems that could serve as models for the rest of the nation. In 2012, Chicago launched a plan to replace its aging pipes over 10 years. Toledo and other communities need similar comprehensive, long-term plans to rebuild their decrepit water systems.

A century ago, this country made generous investments in water supplies, roads, and other vital systems that cities depend on. If these systems aren’t quickly renewed, it wouldn’t just be a minor inconvenience — it would spell disaster for the nation’s economy and public health. Lawmakers must muster the political will to replace infrastructure now, or Americans will pay a steep price.

First Published March 9, 2015, 4:00 a.m.