Sustainable Water Management: Ratemaking & Affordability

Measuring and Addressing Water and Waste Water Affordability in the U.S.

The U.S. is suffering a crisis of affordability, especially among low-income and marginalized communities. One portion of the affordability crisis has received disproportionately little effort and attention—the cost of water and sanitation services. In Measuring and Addressing Water and Waste Water Affordability in the U.S., ISE provides:

• A more comprehensive set of metrics to measure the scope of the affordability problem in the U.S.
• An affordability assessment tool for decision-makers
• Recommendations for how different stakeholders can take action to address affordability using the insights from this new set of affordability metrics

Authored by: Michael Grinshpun

One Water Demand Management: Rethinking Ratemaking

Many cities in the U.S. are experiencing population growth, causing water demand to grow and straining existing water supplies and infrastructure. Demand management offers opportunities for water utility rate structures to support the One Water approach, also known as integrated water management. ISE’s analysis in One Water Demand Management: Rethinking Ratemaking:

• Helps water utilities to assess the interplay between ratemaking, water demand, and water conservation
• Advances consideration of equity for low-income customers in the new rate structure presented
• Presents a new rate structure case study for New Braunfels Utilities (NBU) in Texas to simultaneously increase revenue, encourage water demand management, and maintain equity

Authored by: Michael Grinshpun, Josef Benzaoui, Jacqueline Ashmore

This work was carried out as part of a broad initiative on One Water opportunities in Texas funded by the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation.