Case Study

New Haven Water Pollution Control Authority

Through a Water Pollution Control Authority ("WPCA"), the City of New Haven provided wastewater treatment within its boundaries and to neighboring communities, assuming all of the system debt and providing administrative and operational support.

PFM assisted the City with the development and implementation of a long-term strategic plan for the wastewater system, concluding that the City should consider privatization. PFM then worked with the City and the WPCA on a procurement process to solicit proposals from private contractors, including document drafting, proposal evaluation, vendor selection, and contract development.

The WPCA has been estimated to save over $2 million per year over the term of the contract, while securing private investment in the wastewater plant and securing jobs for all City employees affected by the change.

More recently, PFM has been retained to serve on a team supporting a City effort to sell the WPCA, creating a regional wastewater authority or a private utility. Again, PFM has been involved in preparing an RFP, evaluating vendors, and helping to determine which of several potential structural options will work best for the City. This work is ongoing.