Rates & Affordability

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

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

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) 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

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

The 2020 Water Finance Conference is shifting to a virtual format. The sixth annual event, which exclusively covers financing in the U.S. water utility sector, was originally scheduled for Aug. 19-20 in Washington, D.C. Due to ongoing concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, the event willRead More

By Travis Michel The City of Laredo, Texas, has an extensive water and wastewater infrastructure system comprising more than 2000 miles of pipelines, two water treatment plants, six wastewater treatment plants, 75 lift stations, 19 storage tanks and booster stations, and greater than 12,000 manholes.Read More