Water and Wastewater Finance and Pricing

Book excerpt: A Strategy Guide for Water Utility Managers and Executives, and a Compendium of Best Financial Practices for Utility Financial Leaders, a "How-To" Guide for Rate and Finance Technicians and a Reference Point for Policymakers Detailing utility financial plans and rate structures, and highlighting how they align with community sustainability goals and utility objectives, is the focus of the fourth edition of Water and Wastewater Finance and Pricing: The Changing Landscape. Working from a historical perspective, this revised and updated text addresses the current pricing and financial management challenges involved in the water and wastewater industry. It builds on the concepts used in the standard manuals of the American Water Works Association and the Water Environment Federation, and offers additional insight into the long-term sustainability of water systems. Provides Practical Applications of Finance and Pricing Approaches This comprehensive guide to financial and pricing practices delves into a number of factors that have impacted how utility finances its capital program and how it structures rates to recover revenue requirements. Among numerous management challenges, the book addresses such issues as reduced per capita usage and customer demand, a weak economy, social media, balancing community environmental sustainability with financial sufficiency, an increased focus on water demand management and efficiency, and the concern over rate affordability. The author factors in the rate-setting process, implementing a cost-of-service and rate model as key input in each chapter, and also presents a strong financial and rate plan for achieving long-term sustainability. What’s New in the Fourth Edition: Presents cutting-edge management approaches and initiatives, and the importance of strong financial management in addressing strategic financial and pricing goals Expands the discussion on traditional financing options, factoring in the current economic climate Explores in detail how to integrate risk considerations into the development of effective financial and rate plans. Includes techniques for projecting demand by retail, wholesale and other customer classes Provides methodologies for the development of water reuse, wholesale, and wheeling rates Contains computer models that include scenario builders, rate dashboards, and graphical presentations of key rate and financing concepts Discusses effective public education approaches to gain stakeholder support of a utility’s financial and rate plan Introduces "triple bottom line" concepts into selecting an appropriate financial and rate plan Expands the concepts of water and wastewater financial planning into the stormwater discipline Water and Wastewater Finance and Pricing: The Changing Landscape, Fourth Edition focuses on water and wastewater financial management and pricing, and is geared toward professionals assigned to develop water and wastewater financial plans and rates, senior managers with the responsibility for the long term financial sustainability of the utility, investors evaluating the financial strength of utilities, engineers/consultants planning water and wastewater facilities, academics teaching financial and pricing principles as a part of public policy curriculum, regulators needing to understand the financial viability of utilities under their purview, and policy makers desiring to support effective financial and rate plans for their constituencies.