I have been asked several times in the past few weeks whether California mutual water companies are authorized to transfer water to non-shareholders at a profit. It appears some activists have begun arguing that California Public Utilities Code § 2705 prohibits mutual water companies from making money on water transfers. This challenge is part of [...]
Archive for the ‘Public utilities regulation’ Category
Water Transfers by California Mutual Water Companies
Posted in Private investment, Private v. public, Public utilities regulation, Water companies, Water markets/transfers, Water rights on September 15, 2011 | 2 Comments »
FAQs for California Mutual Water Companies
Posted in Public utilities regulation, Water companies on July 7, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
I have received many comments and questions on my earlier post about California Mutual Water Company Basics. In order to protect the privacy of questioners, I have responded to most individually rather than on this blog. In the belief that there may be value in providing answers to some of the most frequently asked questions [...]
National Water Policy in Australia
Posted in Australia, Climate change, Desalination, Economics of water, Public utilities regulation, Transboundary waters, Water conservation, Water markets/transfers, Water recycling/reuse, Water rights on August 18, 2010 | 4 Comments »
In my last post I promised a report on water in Australia, and now that I have returned from the trip (OK, a couple weeks ago, but I had work to do!), this is the first of hopefully several posts. It was a great tour; I met many wonderful people and learned much.
Water Conservation and Rate Impacts: The Example of Penngrove Water Company
Posted in Economics of water, Public utilities regulation, Water conservation on March 17, 2010 | 6 Comments »
It has become increasingly common to note, under the general law that no good deed goes unpunished, that successful implementation of water conservation measures by utilities and their customers generally leads to higher commodity rates for water. This phenomenon occurs because water utilities have significant fixed costs, and as the amount of water decreases, those [...]
The California Water Bond, Private Profit and Public Benefit
Posted in Economics of water, Private v. public, Privatization, Public utilities regulation on January 4, 2010 | 1 Comment »
Several commentators have recently criticized the proposed California water bond for allowing private companies to own, operate and profit from water infrastructure paid for with bond proceeds. These criticisms have appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle and California Progress Report, and have been repeated in a number of other publications. The $11.14 billion water bond [...]
