AFFORDABILITY


Affordability of Water Service

Scott J. Rubin

 

Update on Affordability (for more detailed information, please contact NRWA) - 9/2006

 

Economic Characteristics of Small Systems

Scott J. Rubin

 

Criteria to Assess the Affordability of Water Service

Scott J. Rubin 
 

 

Update of Affordability Database for National Rural Water Association

Scott J. Rubin

 

Criteria to Assess Affordability Concerns in the Conference Report for HR 2620

Scott J. Rubin
 

The Cost of Water and Wastewater Service in the United States

Scott J. Rubin

 

Comparison of Financial Condition and Average Revenues of Water Utilities of Different Sizes

Scott J. Rubin

AFFORDABILITY HEALTH RISK TRADEOFF ISSUES
  

Affordability is a critical regulatory issue for all water systems and their customers, but especially for small systems.  However, only in relatively recent times has this issue begun to receive consistent attention across the water industry.  Most importantly perhaps, the focus on affordability has begun to shift from it being primarily an emotional or societal issue to a health issue with clear scientific evidence that there are definite, quantifiable adverse health impacts on families forced into unhealthy spending choices by the cost of water regulations.

 

NRWA has commissioned a thorough examination of the significance of these tradeoff issues by recognized experts and the following two papers present the results of these examinations. In addition to these papers, two versions of the basic work by Rubin, Raucher , Lawson and Crawford-Brown have been submitted to technical journals for possible publication. One of these versions addresses the policy implications of this work and the other covers the detailed technical methodology and results. The outcome of these submissions will be announced here at a later date.  The results of this work were used to assess the possible implications of a new arsenic regulation apparently being considered by EPA as of June, 2010 and the results of this evaluation are reported in the final paper listed below.

          by Scott Rubin, Robert Raucher, and Megan Lawson

 

BENEFIT AND COST ANALYSIS

 

Balancing Benefits and Costs

Robert S. Raucher

 

The HRRCA Review Process

Robert S. Raucher & Nimmi Damodaran

 

CLIMATE CHANGE

In recent years, potential changes in climate possibly triggered by human activity, especially production of so-called greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, have generated intense interest and actions at both the national and international level related to the mitigation and impact management of any such changes.  A large amount of scientific controversy exists regarding the validity of many of the claims made in connection with this issue, but somewhat regardless of the science involved, these climate change initiatives have the potential to affect many aspects of the water industry.  Consequently, a through study of the impact of such initiatives on the small water system community was commissioned and the following papers document the results of this evaluation.

 

The evaluation is in four pieces; and extended Executive Summary detailing the main points of the evaluation, a side-by-side comparison in tabular form of the positions taken by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and their supporters versus scientists with opposing viewpoints, a full paper discussing in detail all the issues involved, and eleven appendices providing backup documentation of the items discussed in the full paper and the Executive summary.

 

Executive Summary, Climate Change Impacts on Small and Rural Public Water Systems

Frederick W. Pontius

 

Side-by-Side Analysis of IPCC Methods and Findings

Frederick W. Pontius

 

Climate Change Impacts on Small and Rural Public Water Systems (Full Paper)

Frederick W. Pontius

 

Appendix A Leipzig Declaration - Final

Appendix B Open Letter Dec31_2007 Final

Appendix C Errors in IPCC 2007 - Final

Appendix D Problems with Climate Models - Final

Appendix E IPCC unpublished references - Final

Appendix F Forecasting Errors - Final

Appendix G Letter to Merkel - Final

Appendix H Summary of Findings - Two Elephants - Final

Appendix I Science Letter - Final

Appendix J Temperature Records - Final

Appendix K Legislation & Regulation - Final

 

CONSERVATISM IN REGULATION DEVELOPMENT

 

Blending Science with Policy: Precautionary Assumptions and Their Impact on Benefit-Cost Analyses and Drinking Water Standards

Robert S. Raucher

 

The Radon MCL for Drinking Water: Variability, Uncertainty, Precautionary Assumptions, and Related Benefit-Cost Issues for Small Systems

Robert S. Raucher

 

Approaches to Determining Unreasonable Risk To Health

Joan Strawson, etal

 

Enforcement Flexibility Under the Safe Drinking Water Act

Steven J. Koorse

 

GENERAL WATER ISSUES

Applying Environmental Justice to Drinking Water Regulation
Scott J. Rubin and Robert Raucher

Comparison of Water and Wastewater System Financing Through the Rural Utilities Service and State Revolving Funds
Laurence Bowman

Reliability of Laboratory Data Generated for Compliance with Safe Drinking Water Regulations
Charles R. Phillips

Applicability of Laboratory Data Generated for Compliance with Safe Drinking Water Regulations
Sanford Cohen & Associates

Water Quality Compliance Decisions Based On Four Quarterly Measurements: An Analysis Based On the EPA Second Six-Year Review Of Primary Drinking Water Regulations
Charles R. Phillips and Harry J. Chmelynski, PhD

Required Number of Samples for Acceptable Precision of Compliance Data Means
Harry J. Chmelynski, PhD and Edwin L. Sensintaffar

Small System Electric Power Use - Opportunities For Savings
John E. Regnier and Richard Winters

Small Public Water System in the 21st Century
John E. Regnier

Structural Changes in the Water Utility Industry During the Past Decade
Scott J. Rubin

STANDARDS AND RISK ISSUES

 

Acceptable Risk in the Context of Managing Environmental Hazards

Joshua T. Cohen 

 

Confronting Trade-offs in Protecting Human Health and the Environment

George M. Gray and Joshua T. Cohen 

 

Thresholds in Toxic Responses to Chemicals and Radiation and Their Use in Risk Assessment and Regulation

Richard J. Bull 

 

Sensitive Subpopulations

Jeffrey K. Griffiths 

 

Dual/Multiple Contaminant Standards Under the Safe Drinking Water Act

Robert J. Fensterheim 

 

Compounding Effects of Drinking Water Regulations on Small Water Systems

Frederick W. Pontius

 

Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) In Drinking Water

by Frederick W. Pontius, Ph.D., P.E.

 

Approaches for Providing Potable Water in Small Systems

Joseph A. Cotruvo 

 

Regulatory Policy White Paper

Frederick W. Pontius

 

Ownership and Management Options for Small and Rural Water Systems

 

Assessment of Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) Requirements based on Water System Size and Type

by Frederick W. Pontius, Ph.D., P.E.

 

National Cost Estimate for Cross Connection Control in Small Water Systems (.pdf)

Fredrick W. Pontius and William B. Evans

Evaluating Violations of Drinking Water Regulations
Scott J. Rubin

 

REGULATORY BRIEFING PAPERS

 

Atrazine

Nancy L. Pontius 

 

Coliform Bacteria

Nancy L. Pontius

 

Manganese

Nancy L. Pontius 

 

Metolachlor

Nancy L. Pontius 

 

MTBE

Nancy L. Pontius 

 

Perchlorate

Nancy L. Pontius 

 

Pharmaceuticals

Nancy L. Pontius

 

WASTEWATER

The Impact of Clean Water Act Regulations on Small and Rural Wastewater Systems
EA Engineering, Science and Technology, Inc.

Small Wastewater System Profile
by Kramer Environmental Management, Inc.

Assessing The Impact Of Current And Future TMDL Designations On Small Wastewater Systems
by Kramer Environmental Management, Inc.

 


 

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