Guía para la evaluación de inversiones para empresas de prestación de servicios de acueducto

This guide, published by the Stockholm Environment Institute in collaboration with the Comisión de Regulación de Agua Potable y Saneamiento Básico (CRA), provides a methodological framework for water utility companies to evaluate investments aimed at ensuring the continuity and coverage of aqueduct services. It emphasizes a comparative analysis between 'grey' infrastructure, demand management, and 'green' environmental investments (restoration and conservation) to manage the gap between water supply and demand, particularly during dry seasons.

• The guide proposes a five-step methodology based on the XLRM approach (Exogenous uncertainties, Leverage options, Relationships/models, and Measures of performance) to evaluate water investments. This process involves information collection, characterization of supply/demand modifiers, hydrological simulation using the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) system, definition of management strategies, and evaluation via specific indicators.
• Three primary indicators are used to measure the success of investment strategies: Hydrological Offer (average and Q95/dry season flow), the Projected Gap (the difference between supply capacity and demand), and Cost-Effectiveness (the ratio of implementation cost to the benefit in terms of the gap).
• Environmental investments, such as ecosystem restoration and conservation, improve hydrological regulation by storing water in soil and vegetation, which increases water availability during critical dry periods (Q95) and reduces extreme flow peaks.
• In the Río Chinchiná pilot case, results showed that without previous environmental investments, the Q95 flow could have decreased by 1.97 m3/s compared to current conditions. Conversely, implementing the National Restoration Plan could increase the Q95 flow by up to 0.45 m3/s relative to the baseline.
• Cost-effectiveness analysis indicates that demand management strategies—specifically reducing water losses in capture/conduction and promoting efficient use—often provide considerable benefits at a lower cost compared to large-scale environmental restoration or new grey infrastructure.
• In the Upper Chicamocha River basin case (Duitama and Paipa), the most cost-effective strategy was reducing per capita consumption from 120 l/hab*day to 90 l/hab*day. For Paipa, ecosystem restoration was the second most cost-effective option, while for Duitama, reducing losses in the intake and conduction system was more efficient than environmental investments.
• The document outlines a regulatory framework in Colombia that allows 'Additional Environmental Investments' (IAA) to be included in the tariffs charged to subscribers. This is supported by Resolution CRA 907 of 2019 and Law 142 of 1994, which mandates that tariff formulas incorporate costs for the protection of water basins and sources.
• The Ministry of Housing, City and Territory (MVCT) defines six types of Additional Environmental Investments: purchase and isolation of land, aquifer recharge projects, restoration, protection/recovery of basin banks, water resource monitoring, and payments for environmental services (PSA).

APA

Santos, T., Lima, N., Rodríguez, Y., Zamora, D., Angarita, H., & Purkey, D. (2024). Guía para la evaluación de inversiones para empresas de prestación de servicios de acueducto. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/guia-metodologica-tarifas-cra.pdf

Chicago

Santos, Tania, Nilo Lima, Yesica Rodríguez, David Zamora, Hector Angarita, and David Purkey. Guía para la evaluación de inversiones para empresas de prestación de servicios de acueducto. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2024. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/guia-metodologica-tarifas-cra.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Santos |first1=Tania |last2=Lima |first2=Nilo |last3=Rodríguez |first3=Yesica |last4=Zamora |first4=David |last5=Angarita |first5=Hector |last6=Purkey |first6=David |title=Guía para la evaluación de inversiones para empresas de prestación de servicios de acueducto |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=March 2024 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/guia-metodologica-tarifas-cra.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{santos2024gua, author = {Santos, Tania and Lima, Nilo and Rodríguez, Yesica and Zamora, David and Angarita, Hector and Purkey, David}, title = {{Guía para la evaluación de inversiones para empresas de prestación de servicios de acueducto}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2024}, month = mar, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/guia-metodologica-tarifas-cra.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }