Water Finance

A report released today by the Environmental Policy Innovation Center (EPIC) finds that customer assistance programs offered by large water utilities to help low-income customers pay their water bills are poorly designed and leave out deserving customers. The report, H2Affordability: How Water Bill Assistance ProgramsRead More

The U.S. Treasury has released initial guidance for the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (CSLFRF). The CSLFRF is the $350 billion pot of funding provided in the COVID-19 American Rescue Plan Act signed into law in March that includes water and sewer infrastructure as an eligible use. TheseRead More

On Thursday the U.S. Senate voted to pass S. 914, the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act (DWWIA). It is the first infrastructure bill approved by the Senate this Congress. The bipartisan, comprehensive clean water and drinking water infrastructure legislation will authorize strong annual water infrastructure investmentRead More

Last week at an address to water associations, utilities and their workers as part of Water Week, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael S. Regan announced the 2021 notice of funding availability under the agency’s Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program andRead More

The U.S. EPA’s Water Infrastructure Financing and Innovative Act (WIFIA) loan program delivers a lot of financial value to qualified water infrastructure projects. Could some of that value be used beyond the project itself for innovative initiatives that address local water-related issues — water equityRead More

Organizers of the 2021 Water Finance Conference are looking for speakers for its seventh annual event to be held virtually, August 10, 12 17 & 19. Please email your 200-word abstract to Andrew Farr by May 21. The Water Finance Conference convenes executive-level utility professionals, including directors,Read More

Managing Finances & Cost of Service By JP Joly 1. Every water and sewer utility needs a financial plan. Every water and sewer utility are unique with their operational costs, maintenance routines, timing of repairs and prioritization of asset replacements. 2. Remote work and accessRead More

The American Water Works Association (AWWA) has announced the availability of a new document entitled “Improving the Evaluation of Household-Level Affordability in SDWA Rulemaking: New Approaches,” to help facilitate discussion of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) analysis of household-level affordability when making regulatory decisions. AWWA convenedRead More

The Water Finance Conference is again shifting to a virtual format for 2021. The seventh annual event, which exclusively covers financing in the U.S. water utility sector, was originally scheduled for Aug. 18-19 in Washington, D.C. With lockdowns and restrictions beginning to ease, conference organizersRead More

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael S. Regan has announced a $156 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan to the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water). The loan will help finance water infrastructure improvements throughout the city, includingRead More