Financing Urban Water Systems within the One Water Framework

Learn principles of financial management for successful development and management of organizational finances.

Water organizations that provide drinking water, wastewater services, stormwater management, flood risk management, and recycled water services face difficult financial problems stemming from resistance to rate increases, uncertainties of the bond markets, affordability, and the public's tendency to take water services for granted. Public works and utility managers require a basic grasp of the principles of financial management as an entry point to successful development and management of organizational finances.

From the presentation, participants will gain a basic understanding of public works financial management methods. To prepare financing strategies, they will be able to prepare preliminary cost estimates for urban water systems and identify and evaluate sources of funding for urban water systems. They will learn to create financing and funding plans for separate water systems. To facilitate management accounting responsibilities, they will gain a basic understanding of public finance and accounting and understand the tools they need for financial analysis in utility management. They will understand and evaluate methods to assess community and household affordability and learn to conceptualize proposals for privatization of water systems.

Faculty

Neil S. Grigg

Colorado State University