The National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) and Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) are applauding the introduction of H.R. 3293, the Low-Income Water Customer Assistance Programs Act of 2021. The bipartisan legislation, led by Reps. Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) and John Katko (R-N.Y.) wouldRead More

A report released today by the Environmental Policy Innovation Center (EPIC) finds that customer assistance programs offered by large water utilities to help low-income customers pay their water bills are poorly designed and leave out deserving customers. The report, H2Affordability: How Water Bill Assistance ProgramsRead More

At the Association of California Water Agencies’ (ACWA) 2021 Virtual Spring Conference and Exhibition, the Orange County Water District (OCWD; the District) received the Clair A. Hill Agency Award for Excellence, which recognized the district for launching the nation’s largest per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)Read More

Mueller and Ferguson Waterworks have announced the successful deployment of the industry’s first LoRaWAN Class B endpoints. The Town of Florence, located in Central Pinal County, Arizona, is the first water utility to benefit from this technology advancement. LoRaWAN Class B endpoints provide flexibility to scaleRead More

The U.S. Treasury has released initial guidance for the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (CSLFRF). The CSLFRF is the $350 billion pot of funding provided in the COVID-19 American Rescue Plan Act signed into law in March that includes water and sewer infrastructure as an eligible use. TheseRead More

By Rachael Olson Water utilities are rightly concerned about managing their business through the course of winter 2021 and into the hot summer months. This is especially true as the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic keep some of their customers’ finances suspended, just as manyRead More

Last week at an address to water associations, utilities and their workers as part of Water Week, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael S. Regan announced the 2021 notice of funding availability under the agency’s Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program andRead More

The U.S. EPA’s Water Infrastructure Financing and Innovative Act (WIFIA) loan program delivers a lot of financial value to qualified water infrastructure projects. Could some of that value be used beyond the project itself for innovative initiatives that address local water-related issues — water equityRead More

Organizers of the 2021 Water Finance Conference are looking for speakers for its seventh annual event to be held virtually, August 10, 12 17 & 19. Please email your 200-word abstract to Andrew Farr by May 21. The Water Finance Conference convenes executive-level utility professionals, including directors,Read More

By Scott Haskins Over the last several years, 22 water utilities and more than 100 utility participants have been engaged in a major collaboration to improve utility capabilities and performance. As part of the Water Research Foundation (WRF) project, entitled Utility Analysis and Improvement MethodologyRead More