Teodoro's Water Report Cards Make Their Capitol Debut

As part of La Follette’s Family Impact Seminar programming that convenes policymakers to discuss pressing policy issues and how they impact families and communities, Professor Manny Teodoro presented his groundbreaking water utility report card project to policymakers at the Wisconsin State Capitol on June 24, 2025.

The event brought together legislators, staffers, and other policymakers to discuss Teodoro’s “Wisconsin Waterworks Excellence Project,” which provides the public with clear, accessible information for 570 water utilities in the state regulated by the Wisconsin Public Service Commission (PSC). After Teodoro’s presentation, the event transitioned to a wide-ranging and rich discussion of the future of drinking water in Wisconsin.

Released on March 22, 2025, in honor of World Water Day, the report cards include A-F letter grades for multiple subjects—water quality (health), finance, infrastructure & operations, and communications—with each grade based on multiple performance indicators.

Early in the discussion, Teodoro revealed the challenge that inspired the project: the buried infrastructure for public drinking water often renders it figuratively buried and invisible to the consumers who are deeply affected by its quality.

“In some ways it is the fundamental challenge of managing and governing drinking water. These are critical systems, but we seldom think about them,” Teodoro said during his opening remarks. “Because most of us have the luxury of taking tap water for granted.”

Alex Parker, the utilities manager for the City of New Berlin, joined Teodoro in the presentation to provide an additional perspective on the project from the water utility side.

“I think having more localized feedback that’s really diving into the data and giving detailed report cards on different factors is very important, so I was very excited when I got the report card,” Parker said.

He also noted that it helped bring utilities together to share strategies that worked for well-performing utilities. “I think that the spirit of competition is important with your neighbors, and I also think it fosters a sense of cooperation and communication. ‘What are you doing that we’re not doing?’” Parker said.

Legislators and staff actively participated in the conversation, raising important questions about affordability, accessibility, safety, and regulations. Their engagement reflected a strong interest in how policy can affect the performance of water utilities and drinking water safety for their constituents.

The Capitol presentation came on the heels of a busy few months for Teodoro as he promoted the project. He published an opinion piece in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Ideas Lab to coincide with the report card’s launch in March and Wisconsin Public Radio covered its launch early on. In April he presented the project for PBS Wisconsin. He also sat for interviews to address local communities’ performances in Madison, Green Bay, Eau Claire, Wausau, Beloit, Ozaukee County, and Marinette.

This project was funded in part by La Follette’s Kohl Competition, which supports research by La Follette faculty that informs critical public policy and governance debates.

Teodoro hopes to turn the Wisconsin Waterworks Excellence Project into a biennial report, as he views it as a way for Wisconsin water utilities to provide high-quality drinking water for generations to come, and a valuable and cost-effective tool for policymakers across the state.

“Running a study like this for even one utility would cost somewhere between $50,000 to $100,000 if you were working with a major consulting firm,” Teodoro said. “And along the way I am pleased to say we trained up a couple of graduate students who are now working in the water industry. So, to me this is the Wisconsin Idea.”

You can view the full event on WisconsinEye.