Water & Wastewater Market Recap, June 2023

The June 2023 Water and Wastewater Market Recap covers interesting and useful water industry news for this month. It contains updates on industry drivers, notable projects, and recent mergers and acquisitions, as well as some interesting reads, and upcoming upcoming meetings and conferences.

Industry Drivers

Our data team tracks major developments in the water industry, which we call drivers. Here are some of the most important drivers from last month.

Texas SB 28 - Relating to Financial Assistance and Program Administration by the Texas Water Development Board

Status: Effective

Organization: Texas State Legislature

Summary: On June 9, 2023, Gov. Abbot signed SB 28 to provide financial assistance to water projects in Texas and to change how the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) administers its programs. SB 28 authorizes the TWDB to provide financial assistance to water projects in Texas, including loans, grants, and loan guarantees. The TWDB is also allowed to establish revolving loan funds for water projects. In addition, the bill makes changes to the way the TWDB administers its programs, including: 

• Streamlining the application process for financial assistance.
• Establishing a new program to help rural communities develop water infrastructure.
• Requiring the TWDB to develop a plan to address water scarcity in Texas. 

The bill becomes effective on September 1, 2023.

Click Here for More Information

Notable Capital Improvement Programs

Here are some recent, notable Capital Improvement Programs (CIPs). FirmoGraphs has deconstructed the CIPs into data elements, along with available project descriptions. Please feel free to request a meeting and review the data live in our business intelligence application.

El Paso Water, Texas, Planned Capital Program Increased By 2%

In the CIP covering the 2024 fiscal year, El Paso Water, Texas, detailed plans to spend nearly $606 million on capital projects, an increase of 2% from $591.4 million in its 2023 CIP. The current CIP has 271 line items, compared to 255 line items in the prior CIP. The table below breaks down El Paso’s planned capital spending by business area for its last two CIPs.

Wastewater Increases; Water Decreases

Planned Spending in the Wastewater business area marks the most significant increase, due to the ongoing Roberto R. Bustamante Water Reclamation Plant (WRP) project. The Project increased from nearly $60 million to $149 million. 

On the other hand, the Water category dropped by 15% due to the completed project, the SB3 Energy Systems Upgrades, worth $50 million.

Over $100 Million for Water Reclamation Plant Project

El Paso Water has three notable line items out of 271 in the current CIP. One is valued at over $100 million, and the other two are valued at over $10 million. The largest project is the Roberto R. Bustamante WRP Upgrades & Rehabilitation, worth over $149 million, under the Wastewater category. The project includes headwork, grit, screen improvements, digester rehabilitation, facility expansion, and various upgrades. Another $13 million is also planned under this category for the John T. Hickerson WRF Upgrades & Rehabilitation. In addition, the Water category has a significant project, the New Well Construction, Equipping and Testing, costing $16 million.

Click Here to See El Paso Water, Texas, CIP

City of Attleboro, Massachusetts, Planned Capital Expenditure Increases by 15%

In the CIP covering the 2024-2028 fiscal year, the City of Attleboro, Massachusetts detailed plans to spend nearly $241 million on capital projects, an increase of 3% from $234 million in its 2023-2027 CIP. The current CIP has 254 line items, compared to 216 line items in the prior CIP. The table below breaks down the City of Attleboro’s planned capital spending by business area for its last two CIPs.

Most Significant Increase in Water Category

Planned spending in the Water business area increased by 28% to nearly $80 million. The increase goes to existing projects. A new project was also added, replacing Pike Avenue Water Main: Phase 1B Construction, worth $7.8 million.

Two Projects to Receive Over $10 Million of Investment

Two of the 254 line items are valued at over $10 million and belong to the Water Business Area. The most significant is the Rehabilitation of the Pre-Treatment Facility at the Russell F. Tennant Water Treatment Plant Phase IB, worth nearly $18 million. The project entails rehabilitating the pre–treatment facility at the Russell F. Tennant Water Treatment Plant on West Street, including concrete structures, valve replacement, flights, sludge removal equipment, and motors. Another $10.7 million is planned to replace the existing 10-inch water main with a 16-inch one from Turner Street to Brown Street at the Attleboro/Cumberland corporate line.

Click Here to See City of Attleboro, Massachusetts, CIP

Notable M&A

The following M&A transactions in the Water and Wastewater Industry stand out in the month of April:

• On June 15, 2023, the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission gave approval for New Mexico Water Service (New Mexico Water) to acquire the assets of Monterey Water Company (Monterey), paving the way for New Mexico Water to close the purchase and provide regulated water utility service to Monterey’s customers. The acquisition remains subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close this summer.
  

What We Are Reading

Here are some recent articles our team has been reading:

• Minnesota governor signs $2.6 billion infrastructure plan, includes vital water upgrades
• New Jersey American Water to modernize Egg Harbor City water, sewer systems with $22 million acquisition
• Companies reach $1.18 billion deal to resolve PFAS pollution complaints
• Biden-Harris Administration Invests $115 million in Funding to Respond to the Drinking Water Emergency in Jackson, Mississippi
• Projects to Mitigate Transborder Water Pollution Can Now Proceed, as EPA and USIBWC Sign Record of Decision
• Aquatic Informatics launches automated data validation tool: HydroCorrect
• Idaho governor approves $325 million investment in water infrastructure for agriculture
• Cadmus wins $162 million contract to support EPA’s drinking water program
• Texas approves $33M for water infrastructure projects
• Rhode Island to require state-wide lead pipe replacement over next decade
• New Mexico Water Service receives approval to acquire Monterey Water Company
• Indiana American Water breaks ground on $30M Sheridan water treatment facility
• EPA Awards Jackson, Miss., $115M to Fix Water Infrastructure
• Tennessee to allocate over $300 million for water infrastructure improvements across the state
• Ohio governor allocates $114 million to tackle critical water infrastructure needs
• 3M reaches $10.3 billion settlement over contamination of water systems with ‘forever chemicals’
• EPA Announces Over $50 Million to Assist Small, Underserved, and Disadvantaged Communities in Accessing Clean and Safe Drinking Water
• Drinking water in eastern area of Mass. passed state and federal PFAS standards
• Companies reach $1.18 billion deal to resolve claims from ‘forever chemicals’ water contamination
• 3M reaches tentative $10 billion pollution settlement with US cities, Bloomberg reports
• Florence, S.C., to fund $537 million sewer, water upgrade with bonds and 5% rate hike
• Belgian chemical company to spend $393 million cleaning PFAS contamination in New Jersey drinking water

Meeting Planner

There is no replacement for face-to-face meetings with your prospects and customers! We track meetings of interest to our customers serving the US water and wastewater industry so you won’t miss upcoming meetings and deadlines. Also, FirmoGraphs has recently implemented a free-of-charge service for tracking notable infrastructure events. 

Meetings in July and August 2023

Early Bird Registrations

• Event: WEFTEC Conference and Exhibition
  Dates: Sept. 30 - Oct. 4, 2023
  Deadline for Early Registration: July 14, 2023
  
• Event: AWWA Water Infrastructure Conference & Exposition
  Dates: Sept. 10 - Sept. 13, 2023
  Deadline for Early Registration: August 11, 2023