The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) is awarding $12.7 million in grants to help small drinking and wastewater systems. The funding will impact systems that serve fewer than 10,000 people, as well as private well owners. The awards include: $4.5 million each to the National Rural Water Association and the Rural Community Assistance Partnership to … Read more
The deadline for completing the 13th annual North Central Utility Rate Survey questionnaire is March 21, 2014. The digital and print versions of the survey were sent out in late January. Each year, AE2S Nexus conducts a survey of water, wastewater, stormwater, and solid waste utility rates throughout the region. Two unique reports are prepared based … Read more
The Innovative Stormwater Infrastructure Act of 2013 (HR 3449) would establish three to five Centers of Excellence for Innovative Stormwater Control Infrastructure at institutions throughout the country. HR 3449 defines “innovative stormwater control infrastructure” to mean any stormwater management technique that uses natural or engineered systems that mimic natural processes to infiltrate, evapotranspire, or capture … Read more
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) Alternative Energy Revolving Loan Program recently set a 3.25 percent interest rate for the remainder of 2014. The revolving loan program has helped local governments, non-profit organizations, small businesses, and homeowners install alternative energy systems for more than a decade. More than $5 million has been loaned over … Read more
The concept of full cost pricing is generally defined as the recovery of revenues sufficient to meeting operating expenses, maintenance expenses, debt service principal and interest payments, and contributions to reserves adequate to fund renewal of the system. Though somewhat difficult to pinpoint, appropriate funding of system renewal is often described as an annual investment … Read more
The AE2S North Central Utility Rate Survey provides an annual overview of the cost of residential water use throughout the region consisting of Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. For comparison, the survey is based on the assumption that 6,000 gallons per month represents “average” water use. Some systems have noted an increased … Read more