Welcome to the Beyond the Numbers Questionnaire 2026
Each year, the MWRA Advisory Board conducts its Water & Sewer Retail Rate Survey to provide communities and ratepayers with a clear picture of local water and sewer rates across the MWRA service area and beyond.
Beyond the Numbers helps us tell the rest of that story. In addition to rates, we’re interested in how communities are funding their systems, what they’re investing in, the challenges they’re facing, and what’s coming next.
The information you provide matters. The Rate Survey is the Advisory Board’s most requested publication, and your responses help us provide context behind the numbers and better represent the issues facing MWRA communities.
Take Your Time
You do not need to complete this questionnaire all at once. In fact, we encourage you to fill it out in pieces as you gather the information.
The questionnaire is due November 1, 2026, so take your time. Complete what you know, save your progress, and come back as you gather additional information.
Some sections may require input from Finance, DPW, Engineering, billing staff, water or wastewater personnel, or others in your community. Talk to your colleagues, ask questions, and be as detailed as you’d like. We would rather receive a thoughtful response than have you rush through the questionnaire just to finish it.
One Primary Contact, Plenty of Help
We ask that one person serve as the Primary Contact and take responsibility for reviewing and submitting the completed questionnaire.
That doesn’t mean you have to know every answer yourself. We encourage you to work with others in your community to gather the information you need.
The questionnaire is organized into sections:
- Finance & Assessments
- Rates & Billing
- Affordability & Customer Assistance
- Stormwater
- Workforce
- Review & Submit
You can work through the sections over time and return to earlier sections as needed.
Save Your Work
Need to stop? No problem.
Click Save & Finish Later before closing the questionnaire. You’ll be asked for your email address and will receive a unique link that lets you return to your saved responses.
Important: Simply moving to the next section does not replace Save & Finish Later. If you’re leaving the questionnaire, make sure you save your progress before closing the page.
We also recommend bookmarking or copying your resume link when it is provided, just in case the email doesn’t reach you.
When you’ve gathered everything you need, use the Review & Submit section to take one final look before submitting the questionnaire.
2026 Questionnaire Deadline: November 1, 2026
If you have trouble resuming, contact Nathan Coté at the Advisory Board for help retrieving your link.
