Presentation: Water Affordability in the United States

In this webinar hosted by the California Water Data Collaborative, Dr. Casey Wichman describes research on water affordability trends and practices in the United States, as well as the value of CaDC data and analysis tools for his active research projects. In this study, Dr. Casey Wichman and Diego Cardoso (Ph.D. candidate) document the extent of water affordability concerns in the US across income, geography, and race. Their estimates capture approximately 45% of the US population, and find that 1 in 7 households in the study are above EPA's affordability threshold. Dr. Wichman's presentation also offers policy tools for addressing water affordability concerns, including price models designed to keep rates affordable for lower income households and lump-sum rebates.

Watch a recording of the presentation below.

Dr. Casey Wichman (Assistant Professor, Georgia Tech, School of Economics) is an applied microeconomist working on issues at the intersection of environmental and public economics. His research focuses on how people interact with the natural and built environment, and what that behavior reveals about the value of environmental amenities.

The California Data Collaborative (CaDC) is a network of water professionals collaborating to create tools and applied research supporting planning and analysis. CaDC envisions a water industry inspired and empowered to make informed data-driven decisions responsive to tomorrow's water needs.