Rates & Affordability

Democratic leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday released the HEROES Act, the latest proposed relief package to address the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic challenges resulting from it. The proposal includes $1.5 billion in funding for water ratepayer assistance to help strugglingRead More

The Montgomery and Prince George’s County Councils recently met to approve WSSC Water’s nearly $1.5 billion Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 budget. The approved budget will allow WSSC Water to continue protecting public health by upgrading aging pipes, plants and pumps across both counties to ensureRead More

Water Finance & Management recently talked with George Hawkins, founder of Moonshot Missions, Andy Kricun, managing director at Moonshot Missions and Greg Baird, frequent contributor to WF&M and president of the Water Finance Research Foundation. The discussion largely focused on the financial and operational outlook forRead More

California Water Service Group announced that its California subsidiary, California Water Service (Cal Water), has requested that the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) delay upcoming rate changes due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, and has committed to deferring other bill increases during 2020. In aRead More

By George S. Hawkins & Andy Kricun Throughout history, great challenges often reveal the best in human spirit and ingenuity. At Moonshot Missions, we believe the impact of the coronavirus pandemic upon on the water industry will be matched by the indomitable spirit and creativity ofRead More

By Robert Sheets Water and wastewater utilities are more often than not self-supporting revenue enterprises (and sometimes revenue generators) for communities. However, even with the best of intentions, good utilities can go bad. In general, the smaller the utility, the greater the struggle, though thereRead More

By Erin Boeke Burke What Does “Affordable” Mean? There are a wide range of opinions on what it means for water and sewer service to be “affordable.” To some, water is a human right, others a property right, and still others a commodity. One thingRead More

Congress released a massive stimulus package last week that was signed by President Donald Trump amid the COVID-19 pandemic that could have serious economic ramifications both in the United States and around the globe. The bill included significant funding for a variety of private industries, butRead More

A group of Democratic lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives has written to congressional leaders recommending the federal government impose a nationwide moratorium on water service disconnections until the COVID-19 crisis has subsided. The request came in the form of a March 11 letter sent toRead More

By Glenn Barnes Water systems exist to serve their communities. But do the water system’s rate structure, prices, and policies align with community values? The annual rate process is an opportunity to measure this. Every year, water systems should calculate the annual cost of providingRead More