Water Finance

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a pared-down version of the HEROES Act, the chamber’s previous COVID-19 relief package. The legislation contains $1.5 billion in aid to water and sewer utilities to help low-income ratepayers during the pandemic. The new version of the HEROES billRead More

While water and wastewater utilities are frequently tasked with a meeting multitude of operational standards, they also regularly tackle financial challenges that can have enormous economic ramifications to the public. With this in mind, how often should utilities look to raise rates? Can annual rate maintenanceRead 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

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced two new Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loans at events in Oceanside, Calif. and Salt Lake City, Utah. EPA’s 27th and 28th WIFIA loans will provide more than $415 million to help the local communities financeRead More

The American Water Works Association (AWWA), the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), and the Water Environment Federation (WEF) are applauding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the pre-publication release of its proposed 2020 Financial Capability Assessment (FCA). The new document will aidRead More

Joined by leadership from the Orange County Water District (OCWD; Water District) and Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD; Sanitation District), U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler recently toured the Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS), where he announced a joint effort that will save ratepayersRead More

The 2020 Water Finance Conference, being presented in a virtual format in September, will touch on a range of topics in the water utility finance space including rate setting, customer affordability short- and long-term financial planning, revenue recovery through technology, financing unfunded regulatory mandates and privatizationRead More

A new economic study finds that cost of water and wastewater failures will be significantly higher in 20 years for American households. According to the new report released last week by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and Value of Water Campaign, the UnitedRead 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

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