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Funding Highlight: Twin Cities Regional Water Billing Analysis <br />Through the Council's water supply planning activities since 2005, the Council and its stakeholders have <br />worked to support better understanding of shared challenges and better management for long-term <br />resiliency of shared water supply resources. Public water suppliers, wastewater utilities, community <br />planners, and elected officials stress the need to consider the local financial aspects of this work. <br />One project that highlights this is the 2015 Twin Cities Regional Water Billing Analysis. <br />Partners <br />126 metro municipal utilities, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Metropolitan Council <br />Objective <br />Determine if the rates and rate structures used by water utilities in the Twin Cities metropolitan area to <br />bill their customers have any affect on water consumption. Socioeconomic and land use factors also <br />were considered in this analysis. <br />Findings and next steps <br />• Water is relatively inexpensive <br />• Wealthier households use more <br />water <br />Average municipal equivalent monthly water bill ($) <br />by Metropolitan Council district <br />$17.24-18.86 <br />s%+-E <br />• Lower prices are associated with $18.88 24.21 <br />greater summer water use <br />• Inclined block rate structures are <br />not necessarily water <br />conservation rate structures <br />• Significant room for improvement <br />in rate structures across the <br />metro area <br />• Water savings realized could be <br />substantial <br />• Continue to track and share <br />metro area water rate information <br />and work with communities to <br />create resources to understand <br />the relationships between rates, <br />water conservation, and long- <br />term utility budgets <br />ION <br />$24.22 - 32.24 <br />$32.25 - 36.07 <br />$36.08 - 44.08 <br />0 5 10 15 20 <br />Miles <br />Figure 10. The 2015 Twin Cities Regional Water Billing Analysis includes <br />a range of information about municipal water rates and other factors for <br />126 communities in the metro area. This information improved <br />understanding of the impacts of rates on water consumption and <br />supported subsequent projects. This figure is an example of the report <br />content. <br />Page - 21 I METROPOLITAN COUNCIL <br />