EPA report outlines water affordability challenges, recommendations

AWWA: As many as 19 million U.S. households may struggle to afford to pay for water and wastewater services, according to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report recently released to Congress.

The report, "Water Affordability Needs Assessment," summarizes research conducted by utilities, academics and associations. It uses a new analysis to estimate that between 12.1 million and 19.2 million households may have water service costs that exceed affordability thresholds. 

The water services costs exceeding these thresholds are projected at between $5.1 billion to $8.8 billion per year. This estimate is likely to increase moving forward as it is based on historic rates and does not account for added costs related to infrastructure upgrades, new regulations or other items. The estimate also does not assess the total currently available assistance that may address some of the overall need.

EPA hosted stakeholder listening sessions in 2024 with water associations and utilities, including AWWA and several of its member utilities, as well as with academia, nonprofits, community-based organizations, advocacy groups and the public. Participants were invited to share their experiences, perspectives and ideas to address the widespread and growing issue of unaffordable water bills.

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