At a July 19 event hosted in Washington, D.C., by EPA’s new Water Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center, the agency’s administrator and water office officials learned first-hand from municipal officials about best practices for affordability structures.
Administrator Gina McCarthy addressed the key role of programs that include opportunities for private sector collaboration, such as the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program, and told participants WIFIA will make it attractive for the private sector to become more involved in water infrastructure investment.
EPA officials emphasized the private sector's role in finding ways to help low-income families pay for drinking water and sewer services following the agency's release of a compendium of case studies on how utilities are addressing the issue. However, some municipal officials and water industry stakeholders in attendance expressed concerns that federal mandates were an obstacle in coming up with approaches to water and wastewater utility assistance for low-income customers and called for additional federal help.
Jackson, Mississippi Mayor Tony Yarber provided a community perspective on investing in water infrastructure for public health and development. Detroit Water and Sewerage Department Director Gary Brown told the audience that despite his city's compassionate approach to helping low-income ratepayers, federal government could be more supportive, particularly in the area of unfunded mandates.