What can result from increased water treatment costs due to sedimentation?

Increased water treatment costs due to sedimentation can lead to higher municipal bills. When sediment enters water bodies, it compromises water quality, which necessitates more extensive and costly treatment processes to ensure that the water is safe for consumption and use. As municipalities incur these higher costs for treatment, they often pass them on to residents in the form of increased water bills. This reflects the need for communities to maintain compliance with water quality standards, which can require investment in advanced filtration systems and other treatment technologies.

In contrast, options such as lower water prices, improved water quality, and decreased sediment transport do not align with the reality of increased treatment costs. Lower water prices would not result from higher costs; rather, they typically rise. Improved water quality generally necessitates additional investments and doesn't effectively address the issue of higher treatment needs caused by sedimentation. Similarly, decreased sediment transport would imply a reduction in the problems caused by sedimentation, which does not correlate with the need for increased treatment expenditures. Therefore, the link between increased treatment costs and higher municipal bills is a direct consequence of managing the challenges posed by sedimentation in water bodies.