Countering the Affordability Challenge

Great Lakes Water Authority’s WRAP Program Aims to Put Customers on a Path to Self-Sufficiency

A widely-held viewpoint across the municipal water sector is that water distribution and sewage collection service is underpriced. Water and sewer authorities operate primarily with funding from rate increases but still fall severely short in generating the revenue necessary to solve the infrastructure problems we hear about every day.

The public views the issue from another angle. People see their bills consistently increasing, and many who live in poverty struggle to pay for simple drinking water service. The situation is clearly rife with challenges. A disconnect exists between the real cost of modernizing infrastructure and what the public deems the appropriate cost for such upgrades.