Exploring why municipal infrastructure deficits have appeared is a first step in the quest for possible solutions because options that fail to address the underlying drivers of the problem will not be sustainable in the long run. At least one reason for the problem is readily apparent - municipal infrastructure systems are simply taken for granted (National Guide to Sustainable Municipal Infrastructure 2002). For example, much of the infrastructure that supplies water is underground. Citizens expect water to flow from the tap, but they rarely think about the systems needed to bring it there. "Out of sight and out of mind" plays no small role here. But there are a number of other factors as well.