View as a webpage  /  Share

PSC Water Currents  -  April 6, 2026

In this edition:

• Ask Commission staff: Why does ERF make me do CAPTCHA?
• Annual Reports Due May 1 – Resources, Amendment, and Tips
• Simplified Rate Case – Rate Increase Factor Remains at 3 percent; Rate of Return at 6.4 percent
• New Resources: Rates Dashboard Updated
• Process Change for Submitting Utility Inquiries
• Get in Line Early: Filing Your 2026 Rate Case Before August 1
• Watch For: Updated Construction Cost Threshold
• Deadlines, Events, and Activities
• Recent Commission Cases:  January 1 – March 31, 2026

Ask Commission staff:  Why does ERF make me do CAPTCHA?

Those navigating the PSC’s Electronic Records Filing (ERF) system may have noticed more CAPTCHA steps to view dockets and filings.  CAPTCHA stands for “Completely Animated Turin Test to tell Computers and Humans Apart”, and that’s exactly what this step is doing when you interact with PSC systems.

Due to an increase in cyber threats and automated data scraping of the PSC ERF system, extra security measures are needed to maintain the integrity of the system and keep it accessible to the humans who utilize it.  Those CAPTCHA steps ask users – both internal and external – to verify their humanity when accessing PSC’s online data.

Annual Reports Due May 1 – Resources, Amendment, and Tips

As a reminder, PSC Annual Reports (AR) are due by May 1, 2026.  If you anticipate challenges meeting this deadline, please reach out to the Water AR Help Desk at 608-267-2335 or PSCWaterAnnualReports@wisconsin.gov to discuss options.  The Commission may consider granting an extension, but for no more than one month.  As you prepare your Annual Report in time for the May 1 filing deadline, the following resources may help you:

Annual Report Reference Documents

• General Help Document - instructions and tips for navigating the online AR Filing Tool.
• WEGS Help Document - provides additional instruction for many schedules in the AR.
• Uniform System of Accounts for Municipally-Owned Water Utilities - outlines the accounting framework (USOA) for utilities to use in reporting required financial information.
• Water Utility Reference Manual - helps utilities interpret the USOA and prepare the PSC AR. This manual is meant to supplement, not replace, the USOA for your utility.
• Lost Passwords: Lost passwords cannot be recovered.  The only option is to change the password here.   You will need access to the primary contact email listed in the Commission’s Universal Name File (UNF).
  • Utilities can update their primary contact emails at the following link: Utility Request Address Change.
  • Updating the address requires logging into the Commission’s ERF system.
  • If the utility needs assistance with logging into ERF, please contact the Commission’s Records Management staff by email at PSCRecordsMail@wisconsin.gov or by phone at (608) 267-2897.

Can Annual Reports Be Amended?

Yes, Annual Reports can be amended once filed.  In fact, we recommend correcting and updating any errors you may discover after filing.  Annual Reports are an important tool in a rate case or construction authorization docket, and one of the sources of delay lies in errors or unclear information filed in an Annual Report.

An amendment can also be a helpful option if you are waiting for audit adjustments around the time the May 1 filing deadline arrives.  You can file your Annual Report with your pre-audited information and amend the Annual Report to reflect any required audit adjustments.

Steps to amend a filed Annual Report:

1. Reach out to the Help Desk (PSCWaterAnnualReports@wisconsin.gov).
2. Provide your utility name and number and request that the Annual Report be unlocked for editing.
3. Make the edits.
4. Refile the amended Annual Report.

What can you expect after you amend an Annual Report?

The amended Annual Report will show both the original filing date, and the amended date.  This can be helpful in case anyone has downloaded the original filing, or you have distributed the original Annual Report.

Simplified Rate Case – Rate Increase Factor Remains at 3 percent; Rate of Return at 6.4 percent

Prior to March 1^st each year, the Commission must establish the rate increase factor and rate of return that is used in simplified rate cases (SRCs).  In its Order (PSC REF #: 580421) dated 2/19/2026, the Commission ordered the rate increase to remain at 3 percent.  This factor is equal to the US Consumer Price Index (CPI) for all urban customers, city average, for 2025 and can be set no lower than 3 percent.

The rate of return for SRCs is determined by a review of state and municipal bonds.  The Commission set the rate of return at 6.4 percent based on prevailing economic conditions.  These financial conditions apply to all SRCs applied for between March 1, 2026 and February 28, 2027.

New Resources:  Rates Dashboard Updated

Consumers, elected officials, and utility managers alike seek tools to help them understand how their utility rates compare to the rates their neighbors and peers charge.  The PSC partnered with the Environmental Finance Center at the University of North Carolina (EFC) to update the data contained in the Wisconsin Rates Dashboard.

Available through that hyperlink, or on the Water homepage of the PSC Website, this tool offers users a chance to compare rates between utilities and access basic financial information about utilities to better understand their rates.  PSC hosted a webinar on March 31^st featuring Dr. Ahmed Rachid (AR) El-Khattabi, the Research Director for the EFC, explaining how the dashboard was developed and how the various functions work.

The PSC offers this tool to inform conversations, but it’s important to remember that rates are complex.  To fully compare utility rates you need to understand factors such as:  how often they have updated their rate structure, whether public fire protection (PFP) is included in water rates, and other facts impacting operational challenges (treatment requirements, topography, age of infrastructure, etc.)

• Missed the webinar? Review a recording here or access the slides on our Presentations page: https://psc.wi.gov/Pages/ServiceType/Water/WaterUtilityTraining.aspx
• Found a mistake or have questions about the data? Report it here: PSCWaterGeneral@Wisconsin.gov.

Process Change for Submitting Utility Inquiries

To enhance the efficiency and consistency of our utility inquiry process, effective April 1, 2026, the PSC has transitioned to a new, web-based utility inquiry.  This form replaces the prior practice of sending inquiries to the shared PSC Consumer Affairs e-mail.  You can access the form from a few different places on the PSC website:

1. Click on “Contact PSC” in the bottom left-hand corner of the home page. Scroll down and select the “File A Utility Inquiry” button.
2. Through the eServices Portal under “Information” (on the right hand side of the page), select “More.” Under the “General” category (lower right hand side of the page) select “File a Utility Inquiry.”
3. Add this direct link to your bookmarks: File Complaint Online.

This change will allow the PSC to:

• Standardize required information.
• Reduce follow-up requests for missing details.
• Improve tracking and response timelines.

Please note that after April 1, 2026, anyone submitting written inquiries to the shared e-mail will be asked to re-submit via the online inquiry form.  Inquiries can also be submitted by calling (608) 266-3766.  Please do not hesitate to give us a call with any questions related to this new process.  We want to hear from you and encourage your feedback!

Get in Line Early:  Filing Your 2026 Rate Case Before August 1

August 1^st marks a hard deadline in determining the financial test year the Commission uses for conventional rate cases (CRCs).  CRC applications accepted on or after August 1 must use the next year as the test year.  Example:  Applications accepted prior to August 1, 2026 can use 2026 or 2027 as the Test Year, while an application accepted on or after August 1, 2026 must use 2027 as the Test Year.  A “test year” is the 12-months of projected financial data, operational data, and changes to Net Investment Rate Base assets Commission staff uses to develop the revenue requirement in CRCs.

Utilities often prefer to use the current test year in their CRCs, but each year a large number of utilities wait until late July to file their CRCs.  In fact, in some years the PSC receives over 40 percent of the annual filings during July!  Late filings create a number of challenges that utilities can avoid by filing earlier:

1. The deadline applies to when the PSC accepts the application, not when it is filed. The PSC cannot accept applications that are missing vital information.  Filing earlier  allows more time for PSC to help you submit a complete application which takes advantage of the current test year.
2. Since so many utilities file in late July, rushing the submission of your application puts you in a much longer line for Commission staff service. Late filing leads to significant delays in processing at every step of the rate case – including implementation of rates.

Getting in the queue before the July rush will usually result in faster overall processing times and help you plan on a rate implementation schedule.

Watch For:  Updated Construction Cost Threshold

In our October 2025 Currents newsletter, we discussed unauthorized construction, and how to avoid it.  A common source of unauthorized construction is failing to understand the project cost thresholds that may apply to your utility.  Certain projects require Commission approval if they exceed either 25 percent of the latest annual utility operating revenue, or the construction cost threshold set by the Commission.  The current cost threshold is $591,000.  However, the Commission must update the threshold amount every other year and prior to May 1 under Wis. Stat. § 196.49(5g)(b).

This law requires the Commission to adjust the cost threshold on even years to reflect changes to the cost of utility construction based on the applicable industry cost index numbers published in the Handy-Whitman Index of Public Utility Construction Costs, or an equivalent successor index.  The updated construction cost threshold for water utility projects will be $665,000, effective May 1, 2026.  The Commission notified all utilities of the threshold update in docket 5-GF-154 (Letter to All Utilities) and has updated the information on the Water Construction information page.

You can subscribe to docket 5-GF-154 via ERF at PSC - Electronic Records Filing (ERF) to receive future updates.

Deadlines, Events, and Activities

May 1:  Deadline for Annual Report filing

May 3-10:  Drinking Water Week; Public Service Recognition Week

May 6:  Commission staff presenting at the Regulatory Affairs Conference in Madison

May 7:  Commission staff presenting at the WIAWWA Technology & Security Committee Meeting in Green Bay

July 14:  Commission staff presenting at the Clerks Institute (hosted by UW Green Bay)

Interested in asking Commission staff to speak at your event?  Contact angela.james@wisconsin.gov to coordinate.

Recent Commission Cases:  January 1 – March 31, 2026

Conventional Rate Cases:  Rate adjustments depend on a range of factors presented in each request.  Click on the rate change to access the Final Decision for details. 

Construction Authorizations:  The Commission issued the following construction authorizations.  Click on the project description to read the Final Decision.   

Simplified Rate Cases: the Commission approved each of the following utilities for a 3% increase through the SRC process:

Questions?

For any questions regarding Currents, please contact Angela James at angela.james@wisconsin.gov.