Tool | Southwest EFC

The Importance of Small Water Systems Creating and Implementing a Flushing Program

swefc — Mon, 19 May 2025 23:02:39 +0000

For small water systems, maintaining water quality is critical to ensuring safe and reliable drinking water for communities and customers. One of the most effective ways to achieve this is by creating and implementing a flushing program. A well-designed flushing program helps remove sediment, prevent stagnation, maintain good levels of free chlorine residuals to maintain proper disinfection and maintain good water quality. It also protects public health and a system’s ability to inspect infrastructure. Here are some reasons small water systems should prioritize this practice.

Improving Water Quality

Water in the distribution system can become stagnant, especially in low-flow areas or dead-end pipes. Stagnation leads to sediment buildup, bacterial growth and potential chemical imbalances, which can degrade water quality. Regular flushing clears out contaminants, ensures proper chlorine residual levels and delivers fresher water to customers. For small systems with limited resources, this proactive measure is a cost- effective way to maintain compliance with water quality regulations.

Preventing Infrastructure Damage

Sediment and debris in pipes can cause corrosion, reduce flow capacity and damage system components over time. A flushing program helps remove these materials, extending the life span of pipes and reducing maintenance costs. It also helps operators plan and prepare budgets for future replacement of existing equipment. For small systems where staff and budgets are limited, preventing costly repairs through routine flushing is a smart investment.

Enhancing Customer Confidence

Discolored water, strange odors, or poor taste can erode public trust in a water system. Flushing prevents these issues, ensuring customers receive clean, clear water. For small communities, where word-of-mouth travel fast, consistent water quality builds confidence and strengthens community relationships.

Meeting Regulatory Requirements

Regulatory agencies often require water systems to maintain specific water quality standards. A flushing program helps small systems meet these standards by controlling biofilm growth, maintaining disinfectant levels and reducing the risk of contamination. Documenting flushing activities also demonstrates compliance during inspections.

Written by: Mike Rivera, Water/Wastewater Utility Specialist at the Southwest EFC

Featured Image courtesy of rick on Flickr.

Southwest Environmental Finance Center Releases New Financial Analysis Tool

swefc — Thu, 07 Jan 2021 19:25:26 +0000

The Southwest Environmental Finance Center has created a web-based tool to help water and wastewater utilities evaluate the financial health of their systems. We call this tool WUFA (Water Utility Financial Analysis). It employs an easy-to-use format in which utility managers (or anyone, for that matter) can enter financial data, including revenues, expenses, and assets and liabilities and see five key financial health indicators. The tool can be used for utilities to understand their current financial health, or to predict the results of future activities. The tool has several important features that make it informative, easy to use and flexible.

Definitions and Explanations

The tool includes definitions of most financial components (e.g. revenue, assets, liabilities, depreciation, etc.) and explanations of key financial ratios that are commonly used as indicators of financial health (current ratio, operating ratio, debt service coverage ratio, debt ratio and sales ratio). These ratios are calculated automatically when financial information is entered into the various tabs available.

Easy to Use

No registration or identifying information is required, and the financial data is not saved outside the browser where the tool is used. The data is saved in the browser (via cookies) and can only be accessed on the same machine in the same browser. Or the user can choose not to save the data in the browser when they leave the site.

Flexible

A user can return as many times as they want to modify information or start over with another set of information. The user can also play “what if” to see the effect of changes in revenues, expenses, or liabilities. The tool is free and available for anyone to use on our website here.

Written by: Sandra Blanton

A Financial Reporting Tool for States to Assess Utilities

swefc — Fri, 11 Dec 2020 16:42:10 +0000

The Southwest Environmental Finance Center has created a web-based tool to help water and wastewater utilities in Idaho report financial information to the Idaho Department of Environment Quality (IDEQ). It employs an easy-to-use format in which utility managers can enter financial data, including revenues, expenses, and assets and liabilities and see five key financial health indicators. The tool can be used by utilities to understand their current financial health as well as for Idaho IDEQ to collect and store required financial information for all water and wastewater systems in the state.

In addition to entering information directly, utilities can upload documents that are required by the state, such as budgets, audits, planning documents, loan documents and other documents required by most state environment departments in their role as regulators and assistance providers for utilities. The information is stored on the state’s secure servers and can be accessed only by secure login.

The tool includes definitions of most financial components and automatically calculates key financial ratios that are commonly used as indicators of financial health (current ratio, operating ratio, debt service coverage ratio, debt ratio and sales ratio). These ratios are often required by states and loan processors. They help both the state and individual utilities understand the financial condition of the utilities. This tool was created specifically for the state of Idaho, but the Southwest EFC welcomes inquiries from other states interested in employing this technology for water and wastewater financial reporting.

Written by: Sandra Blanton