Articles by: Contributing Author

By L. Gregg Horn A recent hydraulic flow test on a 97-year-old distribution main demonstrated the longevity of cement-mortar lined (CML) iron pipe, and the consistent flow efficiency that translates into pumping cost savings. With energy costs among the higher factors of consideration in waterRead More

By John Ryan The WIFIA Loan Program recently announced that it has reset the interest rates on two undrawn loan commitments originally made in mid-2018. The fixed rate on a $135 million loan to Orange County Water District and a $614 million loan to SanRead More

Economic gains are possible when investors with different strengths and preferences are combined in a single financing. It’s happening at the WIFIA loan program. By John Ryan The WIFIA loan program makes long-term loans for qualified projects at the U.S. Treasury’s interest rate. Since debtRead More

By Josh Ellis & Dan Cooper Even before COVID-19 hit our country, water affordability has been a growing concern. From 2010 to 2019, the price of water service increased by 57 percent in 30 major U.S. cities. Meanwhile, millions of Americans have their water shutoff everyRead More

By Bently Green, Robert Knecht & Scott Morgan Memphis is a city of highs and lows, like the sharps and flats in the blues for which the southern U.S. city is famous. Lows like the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., and highs like introducing Elvis Presley,Read More

By Doug Hatler The first three industrial revolutions transformed our modern society with mechanization, mass production and digital technology. The world around us fundamentally changed. The fourth industrial revolution is now upon us. Industry 4.0, as it is called, will transform modern society and economiesRead More

By Shannon C. Markham “These are truly unprecedented times.” If you have not heard this phrase 100 times in the last few months then you must have recently awoken from a lengthy slumber. The impact of the COVID-19 crisis has been widespread and thorough, affecting countlessRead More

By Jim Baehr Water utilities were already facing a long list of challenges before COVID-19. Add to the list employee health protection, shutoff moratoriums, intensified affordability issues, unstable cash flow, the inability to foresee the “new normal” and matters become more complicated. It’s probable theRead More

By Mike Keegan After withstanding numerous preemptive judicial challenges, the Trump administration’s version of the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) went into effect on June 22. The Trump rule circumscribed the federal regulatory power over U.S. waters compared to the 2015 Obama administration’s ruleRead More

With three years of solid results, WIFIA looks poised for long-term success. But the program could also be a very effective part of the federal response to COVID-19. By John Ryan The U.S. EPA’s Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act Loan Program (WIFIA) was enactedRead More