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An Experiment in Making Water Affordable: Philadelphia’s Tiered Assistance Program (TAP)
Author(s) -
Mack Elizabeth A.,
Wrase Sarah,
Dahme Joanne,
Crosby Susan M.,
Davis Martha,
Wright Melody,
Muhammad Ravonne
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
jawra journal of the american water resources association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.957
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1752-1688
pISSN - 1093-474X
DOI - 10.1111/1752-1688.12830
Subject(s) - tap water , revenue , business , stormwater , work (physics) , water industry , finance , affordable housing , economics , engineering , economic growth , water supply , environmental engineering , surface runoff , ecology , biology , mechanical engineering
The ability to pay for water and wastewater services is a growing issue in the developed world. To this point in time, utilities have helped customers grappling with affordability issues using different types of customer assistance programs (CAPs). Income‐based billing approaches differ from CAPs in that bills are structured so as to be affordable for customers at the outset. Recently, the City of Philadelphia implemented an innovative program to work towards resolving the affordability problem in their city using income‐based billing. This tiered assistance program or TAP structures bills for water, wastewater, and stormwater services to program enrollees’ income. Given the innovative nature of the program, this paper describes the rollout of TAP and assesses the impact of the program on customers and utility revenues. The paper closes with a critical assessment of TAP and considerations for utilities evaluating the implementation of similar programs.
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