Municipal Water and Wastewater Rate Manual

"A New Approach to Rate Setting"

published by: Canadian Water and Wastewater Association and
Rawson Academy of Aquatic Science

Produced in a 3-ring binder, this publication introduces a new and alternative approach to traditional and current rate setting methods. The manual focuses on full cost recovery for both water and wastewater services, and is based on the concept of "economic efficiency".

A computer model for rate setting accompanies the manual. It is a user-friendly modular spreadsheet, adaptable to individual needs. A tutorial version of the model demonstrates the sample rate calculation in the text.

The model departs from conventional North American practices in two important ways:

• cost categorizing is less detailed
• revenue requirements are more forward-looking.

Features and highlights of the manual and model include:

• revenue generation sufficient to accomplish self-financing
• 10-year capital planning to calculate rates
• rate setting policies to encourage water conservation
• adaptability – very small to very large municipalities
• flexibility for variables – flat rates, extra strength, sewage, etc.

The rate model with tutorial is available on a single diskette, either 3½" or 5¼" size, designed to run on any IBM-PC compatible computer with at least 640K memory and Lotus 1-2-3, Version 2.2 or later.

For further information contact:

Canadian Water and Wastewater Association 
1010 Polytek Street, Unit 11
Ottawa, Ontario  K1J 9H9
Tel: 613-747-0524
Fax: 613-747-0523
E-mail: admin@cwwa.ca