A Statistical Analysis of Water Works Data for 1960

This analysis is based on a study of the fourth in a series of surveys begun by AWWA in 1945 – a periodic accounting of the U.S. water utility industry. A wealth of information on water use, physical characteristics, rates, and finances is offered by the data from the 1960 survey, published in the form of two AWWA staff reports. The data offer at least two broad areas of interest from the utility management standpoint. The first involves averages, frequencies, and trends that may answer such questions as whether operating costs are affected by size of a city, whether per capita water use is increasing, and whether water rates are keeping up with rising costs. The second general area of interest relates to defining norms or typical values for many phases of operation and management. Such values may serve as a yardstick for utilities of comparable size and circumstances.