State Water Board Survey Results
Over the summer, CASA and the State Water Board collaborated on developing a survey to gain a better understanding of how COVID-19 has affected the budget and operations of collection systems and wastewater treatment facilities. The State Water Board released the survey in July and provided an initial synopsis on the fiscal impacts at their August 18 meeting. The State Water Board has now provided CASA the raw survey data with agency-specific information removed, and there are some very interesting results. Over 250 agencies participated in the survey, and 93% reported service revenue loss. Of those, 79 agencies provided more specific details about the extent, and while roughly two-thirds estimated their service revenue loss was between 0 and 10%, some agencies indicated they had suffered over 30% percent revenue loss. Other interesting findings include: 37% of the survey respondents reported an increase in delinquent payments. 50% of agencies experienced a notable increase of wet wipes in their system. 25% of agencies reported experiencing system operational personnel shortages, and 22% reported applying for agency relief from FEMA or CalOES.While the data still requires further analysis, the immediate portrait it provides of the impacts to California sanitation and collection systems raises concerns. Thank you to all of our members who participated in the survey and partnered with us to learn more about the impacts you are experiencing. CASA will share more information as it becomes available. Please contact Jared Voskuhl with any questions.
Over the summer, CASA and the State Water Board collaborated on developing a survey to gain a better understanding of how COVID-19 has affected the budget and operations of collection systems and wastewater treatment facilities. The State Water Board released the survey in July and provided an initial synopsis on the fiscal impacts at their August 18 meeting. The State Water Board has now provided CASA the raw survey data with agency-specific information removed, and there are some very interesting results. Over 250 agencies participated in the survey, and 93% reported service revenue loss. Of those, 79 agencies provided more specific details about the extent, and while roughly two-thirds estimated their service revenue loss was between 0 and 10%, some agencies indicated they had suffered over 30% percent revenue loss. Other interesting findings include: 37% of the survey respondents reported an increase in delinquent payments. 50% of agencies experienced a notable increase of wet wipes in their system. 25% of agencies reported experiencing system operational personnel shortages, and 22% reported applying for agency relief from FEMA or CalOES.While the data still requires further analysis, the immediate portrait it provides of the impacts to California sanitation and collection systems raises concerns. Thank you to all of our members who participated in the survey and partnered with us to learn more about the impacts you are experiencing. CASA will share more information as it becomes available. Please contact Jared Voskuhl with any questions.
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