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Structure, regulation, and pricing of water in the United States: A study of the Great Lakes region

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  • Beecher, Janice A.
  • Kalmbach, Jason A.

Abstract

The structure and regulation of the U.S. water industry is more complex than is often apparent and pricing practices vary substantially. While not representative of the region or nation, a survey of the largest water systems in the wider Great Lakes region is illustrative as well as revealing of salient considerations within the sector. Data from Wisconsin provide additional perspective with regard to trends in costs and prices for water. The context of rising costs and prices, and growing concerns about accountability and sustainability, suggests consideration of pricing practices as well as the role of economic regulation in the water sector.

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  • Beecher, Janice A. & Kalmbach, Jason A., 2013. "Structure, regulation, and pricing of water in the United States: A study of the Great Lakes region," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 32-47.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:juipol:v:24:y:2013:i:c:p:32-47
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jup.2012.08.002
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    Cited by:

    1. Lee, Changyen & Cheng, Chun-Fa & Chuang, Min-Ta & Hsu, Wei-Chieh & Chen, Yen-Hung & Cheng, Kuo-Tai, 2018. "How transparency and accountability matter in regulating the Taiwan Water Supply Corporation," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 50-58.
    2. Onda, Kyle S. & Tewari, Meenu, 2021. "Water systems in California: Ownership, geography, and affordability," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
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    4. Homsy, George C. & Warner, Mildred E., 2020. "Does public ownership of utilities matter for local government water policies?," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    5. Marques, Rui Cunha, 2017. "Why not regulate PPPs?," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 141-146.
    6. Pinto, Francisco Silva & Marques, Rui Cuhna, 2015. "Tariff recommendations: A Panacea for the Portuguese water sector?," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 36-44.
    7. Enrique Cabrera Jr. & Elvira Estruch-Juan & Elena Gómez & Roberto Teso, 2022. "Comprehensive Regulation of Water Services. Why Quality of Service and Economic Costs Cannot be Considered Separately," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 36(9), pages 3247-3264, July.
    8. Zhang, Xue & Rivas, Marcela Gonzalez & Grant, Mary & Warner, Mildred E., 2021. "Water Pricing and Affordability in the US: Public vs Private Ownership," SocArXiv 7mc4r, Center for Open Science.
    9. Singh, Kewal & Singh, Anoop & Prakash, Puneet, 2022. "Estimating the cost of equity for the regulated energy and infrastructure sectors in India," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    10. Molinos-Senante, María & Donoso, Guillermo, 2016. "Water scarcity and affordability in urban water pricing: A case study of Chile," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(PA), pages 107-116.

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