This interactive Rates Dashboard is designed to assist utility managers and local officials analyze residential water and wastewater rates against system characteristics and geography. Utility financial and management data are also available. The rates survey was conducted by Draper Aden Associates, and the Dashboard was created by the Environmental Finance Center.
2018 residential rates for 142 utilities across Virginia can be compared with:
All other utilities in the dashboard,
Utilities with similar number of accounts,
Utilities with similar household income,
Utilities in the same watershed,
Utilities with the same ownership type,
Utilities within the same Planning District,
Utilities with the same water source type,
Utilities within 25 miles distance,
Utilities within 50 miles distance,
Utilities within 100 miles distance.
The following measures for the selected utility are compared to key indicators or to the utilities within the selected comparison group:
Monthly water, sewer and combined water & sewer rates comparisons for residential (3,000, 4,000 or 5,000 gallons/month) or industrial (1,000,000 gallons/month) rates
Monthly bill as a percentage of Median Household Income for the service community,
Connection (tap) and capital recovery (impact) fees comparisons
You can compare the monthly bill charged for the selected monthly amount of usage. You can also raise rates and one-time fees by up to 150% and observe the (hypothetical) effects on the utility's rates, conservation pricing signal, operating ratio, and rate affordability.
Rates data: The rates for the Virginia Dashboard were collected from utilities by Draper Aden. Each utility's rates are standardized to monthly billing and thousands of gallons for the purposes of fair comparison on the Dashboard.
Demographic data: The American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (2013-2017) from the US Census Bureau
System characteristics, such as number of connections and water source type: Environmental Protection Agency's Safe Drinking Water Information System
Geographic: United States Geological Survey
If your utility is not included on your state’s dashboard, it may be that a rate sheet was not received during the survey collection period, or clarifying questions went unanswered.
By utilizing the “Edit Data or Add Utility” button on the upper right corner of the Dashboard, you can temporarily compare your water and wastewater rates against other utilities. Please note that data are only available locally and will not be saved within the Dashboard.
If you were not contacted for rates by the EFC, please reach out to Annalee Harkins with your utility’s name and contact information for future surveys.
Please contact Annalee Harkins. We will do our best to update your rates as soon as possible!
Data can be edited temporarily by utilizing the “Edit Data or Add Utility” button located in the upper right corner of the Dashboard. Please note that data are only available locally and will not be saved within the Dashboard.
Dials such as “Cost Recovery” and “Affordability” rely on supplemental data in making calculations. When supplemental data is not available for a utility, the message is displayed and the dial is blanked out.
Each dial has a “?” button which shows how the dial is calculated, the data used in the calculation, and a brief explanation of the dial’s purpose.
If you have other data needs, please send a request to Annalee Harkins.
Rates Dashboards are primarily funded through contracts with state and Federal governments. If you are interested in a Rates Dashboard for your state, please contact Annalee Harkins.
Dashboards with annual contracts such as NC and GA are updated approximately the same time each year. Other states are updated on a per-contract basis.
Utilities may send corrections if their rates are incorrectly displayed on the dashboard. These corrections are implemented on a quarterly basis.
Share this on Social Media...