Reserve funding was included in the range of data collected as part of the 2012 Utility Rate Survey. Survey participants were asked to identify whether or not they routinely fund reserves through their water or wastewater utility, and if so, what they used as the reserve target(s). Figure 1 presents the percentage of survey respondents … Read more
As many cities in western North Dakota experience rapid growth, there may be occasions when a city needs to consider a Special Improvement District to finance growing infrastructure needs. The simple definition of a Special Improvement District, also known as Special Assessment District, is a tax on private property to meet the cost of a … Read more
Municipalities in all 50 states have access to low-interest funding for projects that improve water quality or improve wastewater infrastructure. Clean Water / Water Pollution Control State Revolving Fund (SRF) programs have provided more than $5 billion annually in recent years for wastewater treatment, nonpoint source pollution control, and watershed and estuary management. According to … Read more
In recent years, there has been a trend in declining residential water use. Much has been studied and written about the trend in reference to the effect across the country. Closer to home, a review of historic utility rate survey data verifies the presence of a similar reduced residential water use trend in our region. … Read more
I recently ran across an article from a 1948 AWWA Journal where it was noted that significant future rate increases will be imperative unless utility managers abandon the practice of implementing rate increases only as a last resort and begin to implement rate increases adequate to address rising operational costs and capital requirements. It appears … Read more
Congressional legislation that would establish a $9 billion annual federal trust fund for investments in clean water infrastructure is drawing a lot of attention from water officials in cities across the country. The Water Protection and Reinvestment Act would primarily support the Clean Water / Water Pollution Control State Revolving Fund programs, which provide low-cost … Read more