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
AE2S Nexus is pleased to announce the 13th annual North Central Utility Rate Survey questionnaire will soon be available. 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 on community population. One is for communities with populations of 1,000 to … Read more
The federal government has announced an interagency National Drought Resilience Partnership to help communities better prepare for future droughts and reduce the impact of drought on the economy. The partnership is designed to make it easier to access federal resources, as well as information such as monitoring and forecasts. Outlooks and early warnings with longer-term … Read more