The Utility Financial Information (UFI) program was designed to aid water executives in maximizing their financial planning and performance by providing timely, relevant industry data to expand their knowledge and understanding of critical financial factors that affect large metropolitan water utilities. Surveys conducted in 2008, 2010 and 2012 resulted in a unique and valuable data source for tailored financial planning and benchmarking. 

 

The UFI program, however, is not just a rate survey. Its overall purpose is to increase the level of understanding among AMWA members regarding large metropolitan water agencies’ rates, revenue sources, expense categories, and trends over time in these parameters. The availability of relevant comparative data from peer water utilities will help water managers better understand cost drivers, identify different alternatives for funding these costs, and provide comparative data for presentations that put financial needs into context.

 

Since the UFI survey is open only to AMWA members, the results reflect input from the nation’s largest systems and provide data that can be used for many useful and meaningful comparisons. The user-friendly Excel format of the database allows comparisons by criteria including geographic location, population served, water source and many others. The data is also useful to AMWA in creating statistical support for legislative and regulatory initiatives where sound, representative utility financial information is required.

 

The 2012 UFI survey was conducted from September to December 2012. A total of 110 utilities (60 percent of AMWA membership) completed the survey. 

 

The results were released in January 2013, and utilities that participated in the survey were given passcodes to access the full database, which they can use to conduct their own tailored analyses. 

 

The database containing the survey results is available for download in Excel format.  Access to the database requires a pass code – available only to utilities that completed the 2012 survey. Contact Carolyn Peterson (peterson@amwa.net or 202-331-2820) if you completed the 2012 survey but do not have your passcode.

 

Each utility response in the database was scrubbed to remove the utility name and city name. Members are asked not to share this database or their passcodes outside their own organizations. 

 

AMWA's February 2013 UFI Webcast on Vimeo.

Webcast Recording via WebEx

 
 

The 2010 UFI survey was completed by 106 AMWA members, a 25 percent increase in participation over the 2008 survey, which was completed by 84 utilities. The 2008 and 2010 results are included in the 2012 UFI database file.