EPA Releases New Tool for Water Utilities on COVID-19 Financial Impacts

EPA has released a new tool to help water utilities assess the financial impact of COVID-19 on operations. AS water utilities continue to provide safe and reliable water service throughout the COVID-19 national health emergency, this new tool will help provide information on the financial impact to water utilities. Many water utilities expect to experience revenue losses due to reduced commercial consumption, households that are unable to pay their bills, and deferred or cancelled rate increases. Water utilities also anticipate incurring increased costs related to overtime wages, personal protective equipment (PPE) purchases, and increased demand on customer assistance programs. Developed by EPA’s Water Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center, the Water Utility COVID-19 Financial Impact Tool leads water utilities through a series of questions that can determine how their revenues, expenses, and cashflow have been affected. This tool will help water utilities understand their own financial health as they plan for ongoing operation and maintenance and capital infrastructure needs, including implementing plans to repair, replace and modernize aging infrastructure. Visit the EPA website to access the Water Utility COVID-19 Financial Impact Tool https://www.epa.gov/waterfinancecenter/financial-technical-assistance-and-tools-water-infrastructure#tools.