By Alicia James, Project Manager, UNC Environmental Finance Center Public utilities systems provide communities with clean, safe drinking water and wastewater treatment. They improve the environment, health, and quality of life in communities where we live, work, and play. These … Read more

By Justin Nolan, Project Director, UNC Environmental Finance Center The craft beer industry is exploding across North Carolina, from around 200 breweries in 2019 to 430 in 2023. According to a recent study on the beer industry’s economic impact, it … Read more

By the UNC Environmental Finance Center Introduction The UNC Environmental Finance Center, in collaboration with the North Carolina Division of Water Infrastructure, recently conducted a comprehensive survey of stormwater utilities in North Carolina for fiscal year 2024. This survey included … Read more

  By Hope Thomson, Project Director at the UNC Environmental Finance Center The UNC EFC primarily works with public service providers of environmental services: local governments or other institutions providing water, wastewater, stormwater, or other services to a public population. … Read more

  By Megan Doherty, Project Analyst, UNC Environmental Finance Center Living in a nation with plentiful resources, it is often easy to take them for granted. Historically, costs for natural resources have been relatively affordable, especially for water. However, studies … Read more

  By Emma Grace Copenhaver, Project Analyst at the UNC Environmental Finance Center Dashboards Since 2005, the EFC has been creating dashboards that compare utility rates across a state. These dashboards are helpful tools for utility decision-makers as they consider … Read more

  By Emma Grace Copenhaver, Project Analyst, UNC Environmental Finance Center Septic tank failure is a growing yet frequently underreported problem in the United States. A 2020 Water & Wastewater Equipment Manufacturers Association (WWMEA) report estimates that nearly half of … Read more

  By Megan Doherty, Project Analyst at the UNC Environmental Finance Center Did you know that, for every US home, at least 60,000 gallons of water is stored in water mains?* If customers had to pay utilities for this stored … Read more

  By Emma Copenhaver, Project Analyst at the UNC Environmental Finance Center State Revolving Funds, or SRFs, can be attractive for many utilities because they offer low-interest loans for expensive capital improvement projects. SRFs provide financing for drinking water projects … Read more

  By Kathryn Obenshain, Project Analyst, & Hope Thomson, Project Director at the UNC EFC Providing environmental services can be expensive, and how those services are paid for is important. Often, recipients of those services, the customers, directly support the costs. … Read more