Record Display for the EPA National Library Catalog

RECORD NUMBER: 26 OF 262

Main Title Building Technical, Financial, and Managerial Capacity for Small Water Systems: The Role of Consolidation, Partnership, and Other Organizational Innovations.
Author J. B. Braden ; M. Lee ; M. Jaffe
CORP Author Midwest Technology Assistance Center (MTAC), Champaign, Illinois.; Illinois State Water Survey Div., Champaign.; Illinois Univ. at Urbana-Champaign.; Environmental Protection Agency, Chicago, IL. Region V.
Year Published 2007
Report Number MTAC-TR07-01; EPA-X829218-01
Stock Number PB2009-103949
Additional Subjects Drinking water ; Public utilities ; Compliance ; Partnerships ; Consolidation ; Safe Drinking Water Act ; Communities ; Mergers ; Small water systems
Holdings
Library Call Number Additional Info Location Last
Modified
Checkout
Status
NTIS  PB2009-103949 Some EPA libraries have a fiche copy filed under the call number shown. 07/26/2022
Collation 38p
Abstract
Problems of compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act (SWDA) can arise for many reasons. Some are attributable to limited customer bases producing lower revenues to cover fixed costs, lower bond ratings making borrowing more costly, and higher per-customer service costs. On average, the per-household cost of infrastructure of small systems is more than three times greater than that of systems serving more than 10,000 people. Combining resources and administrative structures across small systems can reduce overhead while also gaining economies of scale. The resulting larger systems generally can afford greater technical sophistication and their bond issues to finance system improvements are more attractive in financial markets. Thus, encouraging small water system mergers and reorganizations can be an important strategy for improved compliance. However, there are a variety of theories about how such organizational changes come about.