Two prominent water industry associations representing public utility systems are urging the federal government to fund the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) in 2024 and beyond. Last week, the Association of Metropolitan Agencies (AMWA) and the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) sentRead More

Last week the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee marked up its contribution to the next COVID-19 relief bill last week. Included was an additional $500 million for the Low-Income Water Customer Assistance Program administered by Health and Human Services, bringing the potential totalRead More

The American Water Works Association (AWWA), the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), and the Water Environment Federation (WEF) are applauding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the pre-publication release of its proposed 2020 Financial Capability Assessment (FCA). The new document will aidRead More

Austin Water has selected WaterSmart – a VertexOne Brand to provide customers with an easy-to-use online and mobile customer portal. The program is a complement to Austin Water’s water meter network upgrade to advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), known as My ATX Water. WaterSmart’s platform will give theRead 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

  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, theseRead More

Various customer assistance programs (CAPs) — including key areas for consideration associated with program design — can be explored by utility managers to help mitigate the impact on customers struggling to afford the cost of water utility services.