Title: CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION— A WATER PERSPECTIVE
1CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT IMPLEMENTATIONA
WATER PERSPECTIVE
- NARUC STAFF SUBCOMMITTEE ON ACCOUNTING AND
FINANCE SPRING MEETING - New Orleans
- April 2, 2008
- Walton Hill and Sameet Master
2United Water at a Glance
- 139 years in the US water market
- 2000 Became wholly owned subsidiary of Suez
Group - Key Highlights
- Revenues 600M
- Total assets 2.0B
- 2,000 employees
- Active in 20 States
- 6.5 Million people served
- Two Business Segments
- Regulated and Contract Services
- 21 Regulated utilities
- 138 OM contracts
Strategy Develop a balanced portfolio of
Regulated and Contract Services operations that
generate value in line with their risk profiles
includes 2007 Aquarion and AOS Acquisitions
3The New York Experience
- Established and evolving regulatory framework and
practice since 1977 - History of normal rate cases, regulatory
improvements - New era of greatly increasing capital
requirementstwo examples - A new approach that works for major capital
projects for water supply and/or water quality,
not revenue producing
4United Water New RochelleDelaware
Interconnection Project
5Key Statistics - United Water New Rochelle
- Regulated by
- New York Public Service Commission (PSC)
- New York Department of Health (DOH)
- Population served 145,000
- Service Area Westchester County, NY
- Average daily production 21 mgd
- Max. daily production 36 mgd
- Total peak hour production 50 mgd
6UWNR Service Area
- New Rochelle
- North Pelham
- Pelham
- Pelham Manor
- Tuckahoe
- Seasonal Supply Briarcliff Manor
- Communities Served
- Ardsley
- Bronxville
- Dobbs Ferry
- Eastchester
- Greenburgh
- Hastings
7Water Supply
UWNR
8Water Supply
Central Avenue PS
Catskill Supply
Little Catskill PS
Delaware Supply (Shaft 22)
Distribution System
Delaware PS
Croton Supply Eliminated
Croton Supply
Croton PS
9Project Drivers/Constraints
- Regulatory requirements
- Project is required by New York State Department
of Health - Croton supply no longer meets EPA regulations
- Deficiencies in water supply reliability
- Heavy reliance (90 of supply) is on Catskill
Aqueduct source - New York City has defined plans for aqueduct
repairs with sustained shutdowns - Catskill shutdown from September to May from 2010
2014 - Delaware shutdown continuously as early as 2013
- Lack of adequate storage in the system
- Poor supply pressure at times of peak demands
- Deficiencies in asset conditions
- Minimum redundancy, constant speed pumps,
outdated controls - Aged equipment causing deficiencies in chemical
storage, handling, spill containment, controls,
and safety
10Project History/Key Events
- 1989 US EPA promulgated the Surface Water
Treatment Rule (SWTR), adopted by DOH - Established criteria for avoiding filtration
- Established source water quality requirements
- Established disinfection requirements
- Established filtration requirements if avoidance
criteria not met - Established monitoring and reporting requirements
- 1991 UWNR notified by DOH that the Croton
Supply does not meet the SWTR - Provide filtration or discontinue use
- 1992 UWNR began planning for treatment or
replacement of the Croton supply - 1993 DOH requires UWNR to eliminate Croton
supply and develop new source of supply, a
connection to the Delaware - UWNR developed concept of the DIP with new pump
station at UWNR property located in the Town of
Eastchester, NY, initiates engineering and
permitting - 1995 - 2005 UWNR is in prolonged litigation
with the Town, public resistance ongoing (not in
my backyard)
11Project History/Key Events, continued
- May 2005 Application to connect to NYC Delaware
Aqueduct filed with NYC - Dec. 2005 UWNR and Town settle litigation,
construction of the Delaware Pump Station begins - April 2007 Approval from the City of Yonkers to
construct the Shaft 22 Transmission Main is
obtained - May 2007 Construction of the Transmission Main
begins
12Project Current Status
- Delaware Pump Station
- Construction substantially complete,
commissioning and testing underway. - Final completion expected in June 2008
- Shaft 22 Connection/Pipeline
- Construction of the transmission main is
underway, completion expected in June 2008 - Approval of from NYC to connect to Delaware
Aqueduct is imminent, construction expected to
begin in May 2008, and completion is expected in
September 2008 - System Improvements
- Construction substantially complete,
commissioning and testing underway. - Final completion expected in June 2008
13Project Current Status, continued
14Project Budget Summaries
- UWNR DIP Expenditures prior to construction
include - Costs incurred since 1992 through July 2005
- Legal, engineering, and company overheads
15United Water New YorkHudson River Desalination
Project
16Key Statistics - United Water New York
- Regulated by
- New York Public Service Commission (PSC)
- New York Department of Health (DOH)
- Population served 266,000
- Service Area Rockland County, NY
- Average Day 30 mgd
- Peak Day 46.5 mgd
17UWNY Service Area
18Water Supply - Current
- Existing Sources of Supply
- Peak sustainable supply 45.5 mgd
- Short-term peak supply 48.5 mgd
- Additional 3 mgd from RVWF, during peak demand
periods, based on Ramapo River flow - Four sources of supply
- System Wells (20.5 mgd)
- Ramapo Valley Well Field (4 mgd/7 mgd)
- Lake DeForest WTP (20 mgd)
- Letchworth Village WTP (1 mgd)
- System Demands growing 5 - 7.5 per year
- Growth rate includes significant conservation
measures implemented over the years
19Water Supply - Planned
20Project Drivers/Constraints
- 2006 Rate Case settlement requires UWNY to
achieve Average Supply Increases to be
implemented in two phases - Short-Term 3 5 years
- Long-Term 6 8 years
- 2006 Rate Case established milestones that UWNY
must meet - Project Description to PSC January 15, 2007
(Filed) - Preliminary conceptual design September 30,
2007 (Filed) - Submit DEIS and all required environmental permit
applications September 30, 2008 - Complete pilot plant studies, if required
December 31, 2009 - Obtain Environmental Permits September 30, 2010
- Complete 50 design September 30, 2011
- Begin Construction May 31, 2013
- In-service December 31, 2015
- Failure to achieve these milestones will result
in financial penalties - State of New York Public Service Commission,
Case 06-W-0131, Exhibit 11
21Project Budget Summaries
- UWNR DIP Expenditures prior to construction
include - Costs incurred since 1992 through July 2005
- Legal, engineering, and company overheads
- UWNY LTWSP Expenditures prior to construction
include - Land purchase, legal, and engineering costs to be
incurred from 2007 through 2012
22NYPSCs Policy Statement
- Established regulatory framework in 1977
- Consistently employed since then (for water)
- Unsuitability of historic test years
- Goal of ratemaking to ascertain as much as
possible revenue, expenses and conditions in the
year the new rates will be in effect - Basic framework historic base year, bridge
period fully forecasted rate year - Year end 12-31-07, plus 14 months bridge, to
date of PSC decision, 2-28-09 begin rate year
23NARUC Best Practices
- NAWCs 2005 Water Policy Forum
- NARUCs July 2005 Best Practices Resolution
- Prospective test years
- DSIC
- CWIP (rate base/surcharges)
- Pass-throughs
- Consolidation
- Streamlined rate process
- Mediation and settlement
- Integrated resource management
- Fair return
- Improved communication
24Rate Year As A Platform For Continued
Improvement
- Revenue reconciliation (decoupling)
- Plant reconciliation
- Cost reconciliations r/e taxes, purchased
water, power and chemicals - Earnings sharing provisions
- Multiyear rate plans
- Collaborate or dieregulatory efficiency
25Recent Developments
- Distribution System Improvement Charge (DSIC-PA),
LTMRP, UIRP - NYPSC Water Supply Surcharge
- Regulatory reactions to greatly increasing
infrastructure investment requirements
26How They Work
- Preconstructionannual filings, primarily to
avoid continued AFUDC compounding - During construction, semiannual filings for
capital costs - Depreciation, property tax and personnel after
closing until next base rate case - (CE-AD-ADIT) x RORDPPT
- R
- Percentage applied to customer bills, annual
reconciliation - NY NWSS tied to construction milestones