A federal Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Authority (WIFIA) is one step closer to becoming a reality. It’s part of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2013, which passed through the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works via a bipartisan vote on March 20th. WRDA is expected to reach the Senate floor in … Read more
Stormwater management practices in the United States have a varied past, shifting from considering the water as a “common enemy” and moving it as quickly across property as possible with little thought to the quality of water, to recent practices of managing the quantity, quality, and volume of stormwater runoff. The result of this shift … Read more
It appears the United States is barely earning a passing grade when it comes to replacing or updating its aging infrastructure. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) recently released its 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, giving the U.S. an overall grade of D+. It’s an incremental improvement over the D given in 2009. … Read more
In many parts of the upper Midwest, the transition from winter to spring foreshadows the threat of floodwaters. Flooding and other natural disasters can completely debilitate municipal water and wastewater utilities. That’s why it’s prudent for utilities to participate in an intrastate network called a “WARN” to help each other respond to, or recover from … Read more
It’s time again to collect information for the annual North Central Utility Rate Survey. Each year, AE2S 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 4,999 and Regional/Rural Water Systems. The … Read more
Data collected as part of the 2012 Annual North Central Utility Rate Survey was not limited to just utility billing rates, but included a range of topics, based on suggestions from previous rate survey participants, AE2S staff members, and clients. The results of our regional survey show that the top Water and Wastewater Utility concerns … Read more