2003 Water Rate Survey

The Management and Administrative Practices Committee of the Michigan Section, American Water Works Association, is presently undertaking a project which involves compiling water rate and charges information of all of the community water supplies in the state of Michigan.  It has been over 20 years since a survey of this magnitude has been completed.

With most water utilities and community water supply systems, it is commonplace that your customers or members of the community in which you serve have a concern with regards to the costs of providing water service.  No one likes to increase their utility rates, but the justification process can be made much less complicated and easier to win community support if you can demonstrate to your customers that you are delivering a quality product at a competitive rate.  In today's depressed economy it is even more important that you should be able to demonstrate that your water rates and charges are competitive with other suppliers in the state.  Our goal in completing this survey is to arm you with the information that you need to answer the questions of how your rates compare not only at the local level but also at the state and national levels.

While it is relatively easy to find rate information on most of the major water utilities in the State of Michigan, what is lacking is a comprehensive resource for finding rate information for smaller communities and public water supply systems.

We know that as a manger or supervisor in the water utility business that you have probably been asked numerous times to participate in different rate surveys, and we understand that your time is very valuable.  It is our goal to make the survey process as quick and painless as possible.  For this reason we are asking you to complete our survey online.  The online format will allow you to complete the survey at your convenience, either from work or from home.  It is estimated that the whole process should take only 20 minutes of your time, and most of the questions pertain to information that should be readily available.

Every person that completes the survey will receive a compiled results report which we hope to have completed before the annual conference in August of 2004.  To meet this timeline, we would ask that you please complete the survey by no later than December 26, 2003.

The value of the compiled information lies in our ability to obtain completed surveys from as many utilities and community water supplies as possible.  If you complete only one survey this year, make it the one that focuses on the State of Michigan and on water supplies of all sizes.

If you have any difficulties completing the survey or have questions regarding the content or how best to answer a question you can contact Randall Roost at:

Randall Roost

Phone (517) 702-6114

Email rwr@lbwl.com

To begin the survey please click on the icon below.

http://survey.mi-wea.org/phpESP/public/survey.php?name=2003miawwaratesurvey