by Nicholas Willis | Mar 14, 2016 | Asset Management, Utility Management
Most of the time water and sewer professionals focus on the day-to-day tasks of operating a utility. But how involved should utilities be in advancing the growth of their community? How does community development fit within the utility’s role to provide critical...
by Dawn Nall | Feb 24, 2016 | Energy Management
Written by: Dawn Nall Dawn Nall is a Program Manager at the Environmental Finance Center at the University of New Mexico. For many water systems, the electric (or energy) bill is one of the largest expenses regularly incurred by the water utility. It is also one of...
by Jeff Hughes | Jan 28, 2016 | Asset Management, Financial Management
As this blog is being written, water and community managers from across the country are talking about the water crisis that is occurring in Flint, Michigan. The City made a decision several years ago to discontinue buying Lake Huron water from Detroit in favor of an...
by Allison Perch | Dec 2, 2015 | Financial Management, Utility Management
What can a small town do when the financial health of its water system is at risk? This is the question that Stephanie Finch, the town clerk and treasurer for the Village of Magdalena in New Mexico, faced in early 2015. Magdalena has a population of 1,200 and its...
by Glenn Barnes | Nov 23, 2015 | Financial Management
At our workshops and through our discussions with water systems during technical assistance work, many water systems, in particular small systems, ask what seems like a simple question: “Are our rates right?” I suspect our initial answer is somewhat unsatisfying: “It...
