New Report on Small Systems Customer Debt and Declining Revenue Impacts from COVID-19

The Pacific Institute, the Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP), and the Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) have published a new report entitled, “Customer Debt and Declining Revenues: The Financial Impacts of COVID-19 on Small Community Water Systems.” The report examines how the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated challenges for small systems and underserved communities faced with rising water bills, financial and cyber insecurity, and additional costs for treating new contaminants in their water and wastewater. The report includes general findings from other surveys and four case studies, along with recommendations for helping small systems become more financially resilient by improving state and federal policies and funding programs. Two issue briefs and four case studies are provided separately under the “In This Series” tab of the webpage, along with a spreadsheet containing survey data under the “Resources” tab. For more information, view and download the report and case studies here.