Public Utility Finance

By JP Joly With the multitude of challenges the world has faced in 2020, primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic impact, many water utilities are rethinking their approach to rate reviews and long-term financial planning. As both residential and CII customers lookRead More

September 8, 10, 15 & 17 The 2020 Water Finance Conference, which will be presented in a virtual format this 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 recoveryRead More

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced the 2020 notice of funding availability under its Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program, including funding for WIFIA’s new state infrastructure financing authority, known as the SWIFIA program. These funding programs accelerate investment in criticalRead More

As the start of the federal Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) rapidly approaches on October 1st, the U.S. House has begun working to advance its annual Appropriations (funding) bills through their committee process. Last week, the House Appropriations Committee passed its Interior and Environment bill to fund theRead More

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced a $513 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) in California to help finance needed pretreatment and other related improvements to its Southeast Treatment Plant, which treatsRead More

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a new tool to help water utilities assess the financial impact of COVID-19 on operations. Throughout the COVID-19 national health emergency — and as communities across the country reopen — water utilities have reliably provided safe drinkingRead More

According to a recent survey conducted by the American Water Works Association (AWWA), most water utilities are returning to normal operations as they reopen their offices and relax some of the measures they put in place during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic. ConductedRead More

The National Association of Clean Water Agencies’ (NACWA) 2019 Cost of Clean Water Index, released May 29, indicates that the average cost of wastewater services rose 3.8 percent in 2019, more than doubling the rate of inflation over the same period. The national average cost forRead More

The Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) and National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), two organizations representing municipally-owned utilities, recently asked Senate leaders to include public sector aid in the next round of COVID-19 relief legislation. Pointing to estimates that drinking water and wastewaterRead More

Can the CWSRF Represent a Financial Nexus of Climate Change and Water? By Michael Curley In the words of a man who farms 13,000-plus acres and has 12,000 certified tons of carbon credits, “selfless do-gooding is not a motivating factor for most farmers.” Amen. FarmsRead More