A conference is scheduled Monday in Springfield, Massachusetts on the state of the city’s underground infrastructure.
Members of the city council’s Maintenance and Development Committee are looking for information on plans to replace aging infrastructure, what it would cost, and how it could be paid for.
Councilor Kateri Walsh, the chair of the committee, said the issue came to a head last month when a water main break knocked out power to a downtown office building and a hotel for 24 hours, and closed a major traffic intersection for a week.
"It is a very serious and crippling effect on businesses and people," said Walsh.
Environmental activists have voiced concerns about hundreds of un-repaired natural gas leaks in Springfield reported to state utility regulators.
