This document summarizes a 2010 survey of water rates for the top ten water systems by service population in eight Midwestern states. It provides data on service populations, rate structures, billing cycles, average charges by state and system characteristics. Cautionary notes are included that rates vary for different reasons and alone cannot be used to assess operational performance or efficiency. Additional data is presented from a Wisconsin utility cost trend analysis from 2000-2009 on topics like capital intensity, operating expenses and revenue trends.

1. 2010 Great Lakes Water Rate SurveyJanice A. Beecher and Jason A. KalmbachInstitute of Public UtilitiesMichigan State Universitybeecher@msu.edu  ipu.msu.eduPlease do not distribute by electronic or other meansor cite without permission. MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

2. 2010 Great Lakes Water Rate SurveyTop ten water systems by service population from eight Midwestern states, by service population size as reported in EPA Consumer Confidence ReportsIllinois, Indiana, Michigan*, Minnesota*, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin (*no economic regulatory authority)Detailed data were mined from tariffs and websites and supplemented with personal communications.Nine water providers had no rate information available directly on the websiteCautionary notes about interpretationSurvey provides a snapshot in a very dynamic areaRates vary for a variety of reasons, including not limited to cost differencesRates alone cannot be used to draw conclusions about operational performance, including efficiency

3. Great Lakes watershed map and systems in the sample

4. Service population

5. System service populations

6. Sample characteristics

7. Effective date of tariff

8. Billing cycles

9. Billing combinations

10. Tariff charges

11. Rate structures

12. Peaking-factor rate (Ann Arbor, MI)

13. Rate structures by ownership

14. Public fire-protection in fixed charges: average by meter size

15. Public fire-protection in fixed charges: range by meter size

16. Fixed charges and variable unit rates for 100 cf by usage level

17. Conservation and assistance policies

18. Average charges by state

19. Average charges by system characteristics

20. Average charges for 0 cf (0 gal.)

21. Average charges for 1,000 cf (7,480 gal.)

22. Average charges for 50,000 cf (374,000 gal.)

23. Average charges for 1 mil. cf (7.4 mil. gal).

24. Bill differentials for systems serving outside of boundaries

25. Monthly bills by system size and ownership

26. Comparison to AWWA rate survey (2008)

27. Water utility cost-trend analysisData from the Wisconsin Public Service CommissionPeriod: 2000-2009Benchmarking analysisAnnual financial reportsClass AB water utilitiesN ranges from 72 to 94Informative but not generalizable to other water systems

28. Utility plant to revenue ratios (capital intensity)

29. Utility plant investment by function

30. Ratio of value of plant additions to retirements

31. Operating revenues and expenses per water sold

32. Operating expenses per water sold

33. Operating expenses by water source

34. Pumping statistics

35. Revenue trends by customer class

36. Trends in residential water sales and revenues