Water rates continue to rise at time when retail natural gas and electric prices have been stable or falling.
Water rates are more visible and have assumed higher profile among consumers.
Contrast between price trends in water industry and other utility industries. Continuing need to use depreciation methods and procedures that recover capital investment in a timely fashion. By providing more timely cost recovery tends to stabilize prices. Costs deferred for future recovery may not be put on the balance sheet as a regulatory asset unless substantial physical construction of the associated plant occurred before January 1, 1988. Revenue requirement borne by all others is less than if the customer left the system entirely.