Examples of Our Work
GLOBAL BURIED ASSET MANAGEMENT CONGRESS 2024
Glenn presented at the 2024 Global Buried Asset Management Congress in Indianapolis, IN in November 2024 on how the town of Spindale, North Carolina adjusted its rates as part of its asset management program. Spindale is a low-income community with a population that is both aging and shrinking. The community is facing $15 million of needed capital projects over the next decade. Glenn described how the rate analysis conducted by Water Finance Assistance identified affordability as a key rate setting objective but also demonstrated that residential customers were subsidizing the wastewater service of industrial customers under the current rates. Spindale passed new rates that will generate appropriate revenues but will begin to correct this imbalance. A copy of the presentation is available here.
RURAL COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE PARTNERSHIP 2024 ANNUAL CONFERENCE WORKSHOP
Glenn led an interactive, half-day workshop at the RCAP 2024 Annual Conference in October 2024 in Omaha, NE on improving data visualization. Data analysis can help utility staff make better decisions for their communities, but the results of data analysis can be confusing. Human beings struggle to make sense of tables full of numbers, but we are much better at understanding charts and graphs—if they are made properly. This workshop explained 16 basic principles of good data visualization that are rooted in research. It then explored how to choose the right chart for the point we are hoping to convey. The default settings in Excel do not conform to data visualization best practices, so the workshop also demonstrated how to change charts and graphs in Excel to make them high quality and better understood. A copy of the presentation is available here.
RURAL COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE PARTNERSHIP 2024 ANNUAL CONFERENCE PRESENTATION
Glenn presented at the RCAP 2024 Annual Conference in October 2024 in Omaha, NE on utility financial health. Utilities need money to provide safe and reliable water and wastewater service to their communities today and for years to come. This session explained how to measure the financial health of a utility using data from audited financial statements. The session identified the three primary local government financial statements related to utilities and introduced metrics that can be calculated using the financial statements to measure financial health. A copy of the presentation is available here.
ASSOCIATION OF METROPOLITAN WATER AGENCIES (AMWA) 2024 EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE
Glenn presented at the AMWA 2024 Executive Management Conference in Miami in October 2024 on strategies utilities can use to improve on-time bill payments. Opelika Utilities, serving 50,000 people in Alabama, tackled late bill payments despite not having significant affordability issues. The utility faced costs from additional bill notifications, calls, and service disconnections. This presentation discussed an innovative approach to identify reasons for non-payment by categorizing them into short-term and long-term affordability issues, forgetting to pay, and intentional non-payment. A copy of the presentation is available here.
WEBINAR: USING ASSET MANAGEMENT TO MOVE UTILITY LEADERS TO ACTION
Glenn joined the Buried Asset Management Institute — International (BAMI-I) for a webinar on how to move utility leaders to action through asset management. The webinar was held in October 2024. Asset management is a system utilities can use to anticipate when key assets must be replaced. It helps utilities serve their customers better and remain in compliance with regulations. Asset management, however, is only useful if utilities use the results to make proactive asset replacements. Replacing assets is a long and expensive process. Utility governing boards need to give their consent for capital projects, but these governing boards often don’t understand the importance of individual assets nor the terminology of asset management. This webinar described how utility staff can “translate” the results of asset management into language that governing boards will understand and act upon. A copy of the presentation is available here.
STATEMENT ON THE LEAD AND COPPER RULE IMPROVEMENTS
On October 8, 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency announced the final Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI). Water Finance Director Glenn Barnes provided the following statement to EPA that was included in a press release of comments from water sector leaders on the new rules: “The elimination of lead from our drinking water systems will be a major public health victory in our country. The Lead and Copper Rule Improvements announced this week will help us achieve this goal. We thank the hundreds of people at EPA and beyond who worked tirelessly to make these Rule Improvements a reality. Water Finance Assistance now stands ready to help communities implement these rules and fund the necessary improvements to their infrastructure.”
ASSOCIATION OF STATE DRINKING WATER ADMINISTRATORS (ASDWA) 2024 ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Elora presented at the 2024 ASDWA Annual Conference in St. Louis, MO in October 2024 on strategies that utilities, primacy agencies, and other organizations can use to improve employee retention. Elora was part of the panel that discussed best practices, examples, and, ideas to address state drinking water program workforce and workload challenges. Many organizations look at benefits and compensation when working to improve employee retention, but this is an incomplete approach. The flexibility workers have in their jobs, their relationships with colleagues and supervisors, and their potential career path are equally important factors in employee retention. A copy of the presentation is available here.
WEBINAR: SUSTAINING WASTEWATER OPERATIONS WHEN THE UNEXPECTED HAPPENS
Water Finance Assistance has partnered with RCAP, the Rural Community Assistance Partnership, to offer a webinar series on how to improve wastewater compliance through better utility finance and management. In the second webinar in the series, in August 2024, Glenn presented on how wastewater utilities can prepare for emergencies. Utilities identify specific threats they are likely to face from nature or from people and then assess how those threats would impact specific assets within their system. Utilities can then take steps to lessen the likelihood of the emergency or that lessen the impact if and when the emergency occurs. A recording of the webinar is available here.
WEBINAR: INTRODUCING THE INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE (IHS) SANITATION FACILITIES CONSTRUCTION PROGRAM
Water Finance Assistance has partnered with RCAP, the Rural Community Assistance Partnership, to offer a webinar series on the finance and management of Tribal wastewater systems. In the first webinar in the series, in May 2024, Glenn presented on the Division of Sanitation Facilities Construction, a program of Indian Health Service (IHS) that provides technical and financial assistance to Tribal and Alaska Native communities for the cooperative development and continuing operation of safe wastewater (as well as water and solid waste) systems. The webinar introduced Indian Health Service, identified the services offered by the Division of Sanitation Facilities Construction, and described how IHS determines projects to receive funding. A recording of the webinar is available here.
UTILITY MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE 2024
Glenn presented at the 2024 Utility Management Conference in Portland, OR, on how utilities can promote household water conservation. Utilities are in the business of selling water, but they may have incentives to encourage conservation. All of us need water to live and to exist in modern society, but some customers also use water in ways that is unnecessary. Utilities need to use data analysis to identify customers with unnecessary water use—outdoor use, leaks, and outdated fixtures—and design programs that target the specific type or types of unnecessary water use their customers have to encourage conservation. A copy of Glenn’s presentation is available here.
WEBINAR: ADDRESSING AFFORDABILITY AND INCREASING ON-TIME BILL PAYMENTS
Water Finance Assistance has partnered with RCAP, the Rural Community Assistance Partnership, to offer a webinar series on how to improve wastewater compliance through better utility finance and management. In the first webinar in the series, Glenn presented on how wastewater utilities can measure whether customers are able to afford their bills by examining community demographics as well as the utility’s bill payment rate. The webinar also discusses strategies and programs utilities can use to address affordability concerns and to increase their on-time bill payments. A recording of the webinar is available here.
BUDGETING & FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP FOR SMALL WATERWORKS
Water Finance Assistance partnered with SERCAP to offer a workshop on budgeting and financial management for small waterworks. The workshop was held in South Boston, VA on December 11, 2023. Sessions included identifying utility revenues and expenses, explaining budgeting best practices, calculating budget prices, and describing how to monitor utility finances throughout the year. Presentations are available here:
Utility Revenues & Expenses · Budgeting Best Practices · Pricing a Budget · Monitoring Utility Finances
FLORIDA SECTION AWWA FALL 2023 CONFERENCE
Elora presented at the 2023 Florida Section AWWA Fall Conference on the steps utilities should take to maximize the benefits of a compensation study in November 2023. Salaries and benefits are a key component of employee retention, and utilities should assess how their compensation offerings compare to the competition every 2 years. Utilities can maximize the benefit of these studies by understanding their compensation philosophies, auditing internal data, and taking advantage of free and low-cost compensation data resources. A copy of the presentation is available here.
HAWAI’I WATER WORKS ASSOCIATION 2023 CONFERENCE
Glenn gave two presentations at the Hawai’i Water Works Association Conference in October 2023. The first focused on how utility staff can measure and improve on-time bill payments from their customers, increasing utility revenue and decreasing shutoffs. The second focused on strategies to improve utility employee retention by going beyond compensation to consider an employee’s relationship with colleagues and bosses and the employee’s career path. Presentations are available here:
Improving Bill Payment Rates · Improving Employee Retention
WATER FINANCE AND MANAGEMENT FOR TRIBAL UTILITIES
Glenn gave multiple presentations for Tribal water and wastewater utilities in September 2023 in Mesa, AZ at the Tribal Operator Working Group meeting led by the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona. The diverse set of topics included the benefits of mutual aid agreements to improve day-to-day operations and address emergencies, strategies to set rates for water and wastewater service, reducing non-revenue water through improved water loss control, simple steps to bolster utility cybersecurity, and improving utility resilience through better customer service.
BUILDING THE MANAGERIAL SKILLS OF ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONALS IN THE WATER & WASTEWATER SECTORS
Water Finance Assistance is partnered with RCAP, the Rural Community Assistance Partnership, on an innovative program to build the managerial and leadership skills of administrative professionals in the water and wastewater sectors who play a crucial role in utility sustainability, especially in small communities. Glenn co-wrote a blog post and a magazine article on how this program is progressing in Summer 2023.
WEBINAR: HELP LESS FORTUNATE CUSTOMERS PAY THEIR BILLS
Glenn joined a webinar with AMCS Group in May 2023 to discuss ways that utilities can help less fortunate customers pay their water bills, whether the customer was having a short-term issue due to unexpected expenses or is constantly struggling to pay for basic necessities. Keeping the water on is in the best interest of both the utility and the customer. A recording of the webinar is available here.
WEBINAR: STEPS IN INCREASE UTILITY BILL PAYMENT RATES
Glenn joined a webinar with AMCS Group in April 2023 to discuss why utility customers do not pay their bills on time and strategies utilities can use to increase the number of customers that pay their bills on time and in full each billing period. A recording of the webinar is available here.
UTILITY MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE 2023
Glenn presented at the 2023 Utility Management Conference in Sacramento, CA, sharing the story of a water utility serving 50,000 people that, based on demographics, should not have significant affordability challenges but still saw a relatively high rate of late payments. Using innovative data analysis, Water Finance Assistance helped the utility discover several likely reasons customers were paying late and designed appropriate programs to boost on-time payments. A copy of Glenn’s presentation is available here.
EPA CLIMATE RISK AND RESILIENCE TRAINING
Glenn presented as part of EPA’s series on Climate Risk and Resilience Trainings in March 2023. The training focused on introducing EPA’s Creating Resilient Water Utilities (CRWU) initiative to Tribal utilities, with strategies to become more resilient and sustainable. Glenn led the discussion on funding options available for resiliency projects and joined a panel discussion on utility finance. A recording of the training is available here, and a copy of the presentation is available here.
BLOG: INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING
Glenn wrote a blog post in February 2023 on ways that utilities can increase the likelihood of accessing infrastructure funding. There is an unprecedented level of funding available for water and wastewater utilities due to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, but competition for funds has never been higher. This post highlights strategies utilities can use to increase their chances of securing funding. It was written as part of Water Finance Assistance’s partnership with 120Water and is available here.
JERSEY WATERCHECK
Water Finance Assistance advised Jersey WaterWorks on the creation of Jersey WaterCheck, a comprehensive online dashboard featuring data about New Jersey’s water, wastewater, and stormwater systems. Using data from the dashboard, Glenn has written blogs in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 on measuring expenditures on capital improvements, utility financial health, lead service line replacement, controlling water loss, capital investment, and the rising cost of water service.
IOWA ASSOCIATION OF MUNICIPAL UTILITIES 2022 WATER & WASTEWATER OPERATOR’S TRAINING WORKSHOP
Glenn presented at the annual operator’s training workshop in Altoona, IA in December 2022 on what funding is available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. Glenn also discussed strategies that utilities can use to increase the likelihood of accessing these highly competitive funds. A copy of Glenn’s presentation is available here.
SKILL SERIES: HOW TO COMPETE FOR WATER INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING
Glenn joined Utility Cloud in December 2022 to discuss how utilities can compete for water infrastructure funding. The webcast covered what funding is available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill and the steps utilities can take to be more competitive. A recording of the session is available here.
PODCAST: CHALLENGES & TRENDS IN SMALL SYSTEMS
Glenn joined the Talking Under Water podcast to discuss the issues facing small water systems in the United States today—what they are thinking day by day, how they are looking at infrastructure funding, the impacts of inflation on small communities, workforce issues, and where small systems are headed in the future. The episode, which first aired in August 2022, is available anywhere podcasts can be downloaded and can also be streamed here.
PODCAST: DATA ANALYTICS FOR WATER UTILITIES OF TOMORROW
Glenn joined the Utility Cloud Guide podcast to explain how water utilities can use data effectively to make smarter finance and management policy decisions. Utilities have access to a wealth of data related to finance and management but don’t always take full advantage of it. Glenn discussed water audits and Water Finance’s affordability and bill payment analyses. The episode first aired in May 2022 and is available here.
WEBINAR: THREE VIEWS ON HOW DROUGHT IMPACTS WATER UTILITY FINANCES
In December 2021, Glenn joined Sanjay Gaur, Greg Baird, and JP Joly on a panel to discuss how drought can impact the short-term and long-term finances of drinking water utilities. The webinar was hosted by Waterworth. A recording of the webinar is available here.
WEBINAR: ASSET MANAGEMENT FUNDING MINI-SERIES: GETTING YOUR PROGRAM FUNDED
In November 2021, Glenn joined this webinar to discuss how to pay for asset management programs, with advice on using revenue generated from customers as well as available loans and grants. Glenn also provided an update on the infrastructure funding bill. This webinar was hosted by Utility Cloud, and a recording is available here.
PRESENTATION: BUILDING UTILITY FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY
In September 2021, Glenn gave a three hour presentation on building utility financial sustainability, with discussions of budgeting, rate setting, and infrastructure funding. The presentation was part of the Tribal Operator Workgroup Meeting hosted by the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona. A copy of the presentation is available here.
WEBINAR SERIES: DATA-DRIVEN DECISION MAKING
Throughout 2021, Water Finance Assistance partnered with Teksouth to offer the Data-Driven Decision Making webinar series. The webinars discussed how utilities can use data to make improved policy decisions for long-term financial sustainability and covered topics such as the general ledger, affordability, rate setting, capital planning, water loss, and operational efficiency. Glenn participated in the first seven episodes in the series, and recordings are available here.
PARTNERSHIP WITH 120WATER ON PAYING FOR LEAD SERVICE LINE REPLACEMENT
In 2021, Water Finance Assistance formally partnered with 120Water to help communities access infrastructure funding for lead service line replacement and other critical capital improvements. Water Finance Assistance became an early member of 120Water’s Service Partner Network to to help water professionals manage all aspects of their drinking water programs. An announcement about the partnership is available here.
UTILITY MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE 2021
At the AWWA/WEF Utility Management Conference 2021, Glenn presented on how water utilities can make changes to their bill formats to encourage conservation. Drawing from leading research in behavioral economics, the best methods include showing customers their rate structure, providing information on usage relative to others, offering conservation tips, and even including emojis. This presentation is based on a capstone project conducted by a team of student researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is available here.
WEBINAR SERIES: UTILITY FINANCE FOR SMALL WATER SYSTEMS
In late 2020 and early 2021, Water Finance Assistance partnered with the Great Lakes Environmental Infrastructure Center to offer webinars on utility finance for small water systems. Topics included having enough revenue for today and tomorrow and rate design and pricing. Presentations are available from the links provided.
FORMULATE GREAT RATES GUIDEBOOK
Water Finance Assistance partnered with RCAP, the Rural Community Assistance Partnership, to update their Formulate Great Rates guidebook and Excel tool. The guidebook describes the process of how a small water utility can conduct an audit of their water rates, determining if their current rate structure will be sufficient in the years to come. The guide and tool are available for free and can be downloaded from the RCAP website.
EDMUNDS GOVTALK ON COVID-19
In August 2020, Glenn joined Stacey Isaac Berahzer, Lauren Brown, and Gary Sanders on a panel to discuss the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on drinking water utilities. This webinar was part of Edmunds GovTech’s GovTalk series. Glenn described changes to revenues and expenses as a result of COVID and provided suggestions for how utilities could adjust to protect their financial health. A recording of the webinar is available here.
RCAP ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2020
In August 2020, Glenn offered the presentation “From Gut Feelings to Hard Numbers: Measuring Community Financial Health” to the field staff of RCAP, the Rural Community Assistance Partnership. The presentation identified key financial indicators that utilities can calculate to measure financial health and demonstrated the calculations using a real-world utility example. A copy of the presentation is available here.
ARTICLE: SERVING THE COMMUNITY THROUGH DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS
Glenn’s article discusses the best approach to the annual rate process, which includes determining what the community values and to measure how well the water system is doing in achieving those values. It appeared in the February 2020 edition of Water Finance & Management and is available here.
IOWA RATE SETTING WORKSHOP SERIES 2019
Your water rates are the most important source of revenue for your water system. This workshop series explored important aspects of water system finance, including how to structure appropriate rates for your community, how to plan for the future, how to measure financial health, and how to find available loans and grants. Presentations and materials are available here.
INTERVIEW: RATE SETTING & FISCAL PLANNING FOR WATER SYSTEMS
Glenn was interviewed by the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities (IAMU) for their Fall 2019 edition of IAMU Connection. The issue focused on utility finance. Glenn discussed best practices in water rate setting, new considerations in financial planning, and the value of technical assistance. The interview can be found here.
HAWAI’I WATERWORKS ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE 2019
Glenn gave three presentations at the 58th Annual HWWA Conference in Honolulu in October 2019. The first looked at pricing and non-pricing strategies to promote conservation. The second focused on how to set water rates that meet community priorities. The final presentation looked at data driven decision making, in particular for conservation and affordability. Presentations are below:
PODCAST: ARE YOUR WATER UTILITY’S FINANCES HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY?
In September 2019, Glenn joined Dave McGimpsey to talk about a range of water finance issues including common shortcomings by utilities in water finance, affordability concerns and measuring affordability, strategies to maximize bill payment, financial planning metrics for water utilities, rules of thumb for utility financial metrics, and economic development. The episode is available for free download wherever you get your podcasts. It is also available from the Water Values Podcast website.
WEBINAR: IS YOUR WATER SYSTEM MEETING ITS PRIORITIES?
This webinar explored examples of how to measure your progress in achieving key priorities for drinking water systems including having appropriate revenues, economic development, efficient use of water resources, and maximizing bill payments. The webinar was held on June 19, 2019.