Check out this AWWA one-hour webinar where we discuss the impacts of COVID-19 on the financial health and sustainability of the water sector.
As rate consultants, it’s a question we are often asked—”Why does it cost more for water or wastewater service here than it does at other (seemingly) similar utilities in the area?” The question usually arises when we provide a utility bill comparison for a typical residential customer during a presentation to utility managers, elected officials, or a governing board.
For public utilities, setting fair and equitable rates is a complex and ever-evolving challenge. Traditionally, cost-of-service studies have relied on historical assumptions, monthly meter reads, and estimations based on small subsamples of customer usage data. However, with the innovation of Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), utilities now have access to an unprecedented level of granular data—hourly usage for every customer.
Ensuring access to affordable water and wastewater services is a critical challenge for many municipalities. Louisville Water and the Louisville/Jefferson County Metropolitan Sewer District (Louisville MSD) in Kentucky and Raleigh Water in North Carolina, have taken significant steps to address this issue.
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