Adequate financing for infrastructure no longer means looking primarily to federal or state grant funding sources. Today an effective financial program may encompass a variety of approaches to financing infrastructure. Get the facts on how to structure your utility's financing program from this manual.

Written for both public and investor-owned utilities, the manual addresses both traditional and innovative utility financing alternatives to meet both short- and long-term capital requirements. Coverage includes strategic planning, budgeting, internal or external funding, legal factors, the players sale, closing, and rating agency requirements.

Manual M29 covers the six fundamental areas of water utility capital funding: (1) strategic capital and financial requirements planning, (2) identifying financing alternatives, (3) evaluating financing alternatives, (4) the process of taking a debt issue to market, (5) participants? roles in the debt issuance process, and (6) special considerations for investor-owned utilities.

You do not need to be a financial professional to understand and use Manual M29. It is not a complete text on water utility capital financing, but is specifically designed to be a utility manager?s basic guide of best practices for determining utility capital requirements, strategic planning, and evaluating financing alternatives.

You will also get important information about the general requirements and roles of bond-rating agencies. This is particularly useful as a utility considers the use of long-term debt and begins the process of going to the financial market.