Water Finance

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

By John Ryan In its 2020 annual report, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan program describes itself as a “government bank with unique flexibilities.” Can those flexibilities be useful for Clean and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (SRFs)Read More

  Water and sewer credit ratings incorporate an assessment of an entity’s resiliency to manage unexpected events, including cyberattacks, which could pose financial and operating risks that ultimately affect utility credit quality, Fitch Ratings says. Event risks like cyberattacks are considered asymmetric risks per Fitch’sRead More

On March 31, the White House released The American Jobs Plan, a $2 trillion infrastructure plan aimed at creating jobs and rebuilding U.S. infrastructure. The Biden Administration is proposing a total of $111 billion dollars in clean water and drinking water investments. While the proposal doesRead More

By John Ryan The 2020 Annual Report of the EPA’s WIFIA loan program is a good read, and not just because it’s short and largely graphical. It’s a series of positive snapshots, including impressive aggregate stats, highlights from closed loans and summaries of new features.Read More

President Joe Biden on Friday signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act, legislation to deliver additional COVID-19 relief that contains $500 million in assistance for low-income clean water customers and support for critical water and sewer investments. This water assistance funding comes in addition toRead More

Steven McDonald has joined Raftelis as our Chief Economist to lead our new valuation and economic impact analysis services. He was formerly with CSG Economics at GAI Consultants. Valuation services and economic impact analyses have been top of mind for many Raftelis clients as theyRead More