The Progress-Index PETERSBURG – Conversations about Petersburg’s water infrastructure are usually sprinkled with comments about pipes dating back to the civil war, and a fear that the city could become “the next Flint, Michigan.” Questions about this aging infrastructure are coming back to the forefront now that Petersburg is responsible for upgrading the water and sewer infrastructure that feeds into the city’s incoming pharma manufacturing cluster. Upgrades to the utilities in this region could ultimately benefit a fair number of neighborhoods and businesses. A study from 2006 said that the Poor Creek Sewer Service Area was at or near capacity across the entire system. That 7.1 square mile portion of piping in the city’s southeastern corner accounts for about one-third of Petersburg’s wastewater utility.