"Affordability and access" concerns whether people can reliably get clean tap water at a cost they can afford. Ensuring that tap water is both accessible and affordable helps protect public health, prevent service shutoffs and support long-term community stability. However, most Arizona water providers must balance affordability with the need to charge water rates sufficient to pay for system maintainence and infrastructure replacement.
This report addresses the challenges and trade-offs involved in achieving water equity within community water systems. It is crucial to balance universal access to safe, clean water with the financial realities of maintaining such systems. Water equity is not just about access, but also involves careful consideration of infrastructure and financial sustainability.
Access to safe, reliable drinking water is the foundation of public health, economic opportunity and quality of life. Keeping water affordable is key to ensuring that it is accessible. But most community water system rely on revenues from rate-payers to cover operations and infrastructure cost. This report explains the tensions between keeping water affordable and recouping sufficient revenue to keep a public water system well-maintained. In addition, it analyzes the affordability of rates of over 600 Arizona community water systems.
Access to affordable, safe drinking water is essential for public health and quality of life, yet many communities in Northern Arizona, particularly Native American and rural areas, face significant challenges in securing such access.