Water Utility Regulation

Water Utility Regulation

The Commission's Water Team works within the Division of Water, Telecommunications, and Consumer Affairs (DWTCA) and is responsible for carrying out the PSC’s regulatory authority related to water and wastewater utilities.  The Water Team's responsibilities include six core functions:

Water Team Core Functions

Utilities regulated by the Commission may apply electronically for a Conventional Rate Case (CRC), Simplified Rate Case (SRC), Certificate of Authority for Construction (CA), or a Purchased Water Adjustment Clause (PWAC).

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	Conventional Rate Case	Simplified Rate Case​	CA for Construction	PWAC	Water Utility Training

Drinking Water Utilities

The PSC oversees more than 580 drinking water utilities operating in Wisconsin, including municipal and investor-owned utilities.  The PSC’s authority extends to any water system that provides water to the public for domestic, commercial, or industrial purposes.  However, regional water authorities, cooperatives, water trusts, and private wells are generally not subject to PSC regulation. 

Wastewater Utilities

The PSC regulates four of the more than 600 wastewater (sanitary sewer) utilities operating in Wisconsin. Local governing bodies are responsible for the operations and rates for unregulated sewer systems; however, the PSC may get involved in customer complaints or disputes about rates and practices for any wastewater utility in the state. 

Water Utility Data

Those interested in viewing regulated utilities' financial and operating data can find utilities' annual reports in our E Services Portal.  The portal includes both municipal utility annual reports and investor owned utility annual reports.  In addition, visitors to the portal can run queries of municipal utility data and investor owned utility data.