Cost: Complimentary.
CEUs: This workshop will be submitted to the state for approval of 6 continuing education credits.

Water conservation is a much larger issue than just asking customers to use less. Water conservation also encompasses the following components:

• Asking customers to be more efficient with how they use water in the home (e.g., water saving devices)
• Making sure the system is not leaking excessively (e.g., pipes, tanks, and service lines are more water tight)
• Using water more efficiently within the water utility (e.g., optimizing flushing programs)

A rate structure may be designed to encourage consumers to conserve by charging higher rates for greater water usage. However, the utility will receive less revenue when customers use less. Systems need to understand the ramifications of the revenue reductions and be prepared for them. If your system is more water tight, your cost of operation will go down (after the capital expense) and this can be a financial benefit to the utility. However, it is unlikely that the positive benefits of reducing water loss from leaky pipes will offset the revenue decreases from selling less water.

This workshop will blend discussions of the technical aspects of water conservation with the financial aspects to provide information regarding how a utility can best prepare for the financial components of water conservation.

Trainers:
James Markham – Research Scientist, Southwest Environmental Finance Center
Glenn Barnes – Associate Director, The Environmental Finance Center at The University of North Carolina

Contact:
Francine Stefan, mfstefan@unm.edu

Resources:

Conservation Finance Introduction
Non-price approaches to conservation
Pricing Water for Conservation
Conservation Pricing Exercise
Conservation Finance Messaging