2013 WISCONSIN WATER FACT SHEET
________________________________________________________________________________
PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION OF WISCONSIN
The Public Service Commission (PSC) regulates 583
public water utilities in Wisconsin. Of that number, 78
are Class AB utilities serving 4,000 or more customers,
140 are Class C utilities serving from 1,000 to 4,000
customers, and 365 are Class D utilities serving fewer
than 1,000 customers. Most are municipally owned, but
6
are
private
or
investor owned
systems.
Water Utility Revenues in 2012
Resale
4%
Other
4%
Fire
19%
Metered
72%
Retail Water Sales and Metered Customers
158
1.40
156
Billions of Gallons
152
1.36
150
148
1.34
146
144
Millions of Customers
1.38
154
1.32
142
140
1.30
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
In 2012, utilities generated $699 million
in revenue through metered retail sales,
wholesale sales, fire protection, and
other charges.
Retail sales from the state’s water utilities
increased by just over 4 percent between 2011
and 2012, due likely to the unusually hot and
dry summer. Nonetheless, over the last five
years, sales have declined by 3 percent to 1.53
billion gallons in 2012, despite a 1.1 percent
increase in the number of metered customers
over the same period.
On average, residential customers used 55,100 gallons of water in 2012
Residential Sales Volume per Customer
(statewide average)
60
Thousands of Gallons
Between 2011 and 2012, the statewide
average sales volume per customer increased
by 5.4 percent. However, since 2007, there
has been a decline in average use of almost 6
percent. As of February 2013, the average
water bill for a residential customer using
18,750 gallons in a quarter was $86.59. Since
2007, the average bill has increased by 25
percent. Rising energy, chemical,
infrastructure, and capital costs are among
the factors driving increased water bills.
58.5
55.9
58
54.8
56
55.1
52.2
54
52.3
52
50
Each residential meter is considered a residential customer.
48
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
The Public Service Commission regulates the rates and standards of service for all Wisconsin public water utilities. This Fact Sheet
was prepared using 2012 annual report data submitted by utilities. For additional information, contact the PSC media line at
(608) 266 9600.
Total Volume Pumped in 2012: 180 billion gallons
Total Water Pumped
5%
Ground
Surface
0%
5%
10%
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
15%
2003
Groundwater
99.7 billion
55%
10%
2002
Surface
Water
80.5 billion
45%
Percentage change since 2002
Source of Water Pumped (2012)
Most Wisconsin utilities rely on groundwater as their primary source of water. In 2012, 520 utilities (89
percent) relied solely on groundwater, while 63 utilities (11 percent) used surface water for some or all of
their water supply. All of the surface water utilities are located in the Great Lakes Basin. Despite an
increase of 2.8 percent between 2011 and 2012, there has been an overall downward trend in total volume
pumped since 2007. This trend is likely due to a combination of the implementation of water conservation
and efficiency programs and the decline of industries that have historically used large volumes of water.
Wisconsin water utilities used 362 million kilowatt hours of electricity in 2012
The energy required to pump, treat, and
distribute water can be a significant component
of a utility’s overall costs. A water utility’s energy
use depends on its source of supply.
Groundwater often requires less treatment than
surface water; however, large pumps are needed
to lift groundwater from aquifers. Total water
utility energy use in 2012 was 1.9 percent higher
than it was in 2011. Between 2011 and 2012,
average kilowatt hours per 1,000 gallons pumped
decreased for surface and purchased water and
increased for groundwater.
Average Utility Energy Use by Supply Source
(kilowatt hours per 1,000 gallons pumped)
.
2.10
1.74
0.55
Groundwater
Surface Water
Purchased Water
Estimated Water Loss in 2012: 20.9 billion gallons
Estimated Water Loss (2012)
Number of Utilities
D
150
100
50
28
11
18
75
45
81
C
AB
23
41
75
8
18
38
6
5
37
2
12
57
0
<5%
5 10% 10 15% 15 20% 20 25% >25%
Water loss includes unauthorized
consumption, meter inaccuracies, accounting
errors, water main leaks, overflows, theft,
and other unaccounted for water. Total
estimated water loss decreased by 7.6
percent in 2012. PSC water loss control
benchmarks are 15 percent for Classes AB
and C utilities and 25 percent for Class D
utilities. Non revenue water should be
lower than 30 percent. In 2012, a total of
109 utilities exceeded these benchmarks.