Residential water and wastewater bills have progressively increased by 5.7 percent annually over the past five years, outpacing average annual income growth (5 percent) and inflation (1.9 percent) and magnifying the financial challenges facing municipal water utilities. Analysis of the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. show combined monthlyRead More

Roundtable 2017 Editor’s Note — This issue marks the return of our popular Mayors Roundtable feature. Mayors are essential to a city’s water infrastructure agenda, involved in budgetary decisions and strategic planning, often in the face of financial challenges, economic uncertainty and regulatory constraints. They are held accountable when problemsRead More

Albuquerque Uses Customer Outreach to Gain Deeper Insights into Infrastructure Needs, Conservation and Rate Increases By Frank Roth & Carol Malesky As many utilities look to implement water conservation programs in order to address drought and water shortfalls, the challenge of maintaining a utility’s fund balances becomes more prevalent. AsRead More

According to a new estimate developed by the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) and the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), eliminating tax-exempt municipal bonds would increase water and wastewater infrastructure financing costs by $16 billion nationwide over a 30-year repayment period. The latest figures represent an updateRead More

  Customer Assistance Programs Integrated Into Business Processes Can Help Struggling Ratepayers Stay Afloat By Neil Grigg Rate increases by water utilities are needed to sustain high quality services, but their impacts on low-income customers are a major cause of concern. In some communities, these concerns can fly under theRead More

The 2017 Water Finance Conference will head to Milwaukee, Wis., Aug. 28-29, for the 3rd annual event highlighting innovative financing approaches in the municipal water sector. The event will be held at the Harley-Davidson Museum® near downtown Milwaukee. In each of the past two years, the Water Finance Conference has gatheredRead More

The Water Research Foundation (WRF), a leading sponsor of innovative research supporting the water community, has published a new report to help utilities assess several new and emerging capital financing alternatives. The report indicates that while the new capital funding options may help, utilities still need sufficient and sustained revenueRead More

The 2017 Winter Conference of the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) will gather clean water professionals, regulators, key stakeholders and thought leaders to explore the balancing act among compliance, innovation and affordability. The 2017 Winter Conference, scheduled for Feb. 4-7 in Tampa, Fla., will be co-located with theRead More

The Master Planner The Managerial Maestro Behind North Carolina’s Innovative Water Financing Model By Andrew Farr   Kim Colson doesn’t ask for attention and he doesn’t want to be singled out. He’s at the center of a program that exemplifies innovation in water financing, yet he modestly maintains that for himRead More

The 2016 Water Finance Conference has announced the agenda for its second annual event being held Aug. 30-31 at the Denver Athletic Club in downtown Denver, Colorado.