Water Conservation-Oriented Rates

This book discusses the utilization of water conservation-oriented rates (WCORs) to foster both sustainability of water provision and environmental stewardship, especially during periods of drought. WCORs are designed to promote conservation through such rate mechanisms as excess surcharges (ES), drought demand rates (DDR), inclining block rates (IBR), seasonal rates (SR), and time-of-use rates (TOU), and in a manner that is sensitive to regional, physical, and population/user characteristics. This report looked at states experiences with water conservation-oriented rates under both normal and drought conditions, and showed how states and utilities have coped with the social and economic implications of their implementation.