Blog
Current Blog Posts
How Utilities in the Past have Saved Money during Economic Hardship: Similarities and Differences for COVID-19
Co-written by Erin Ansbro Right now, water utilities are facing great uncertainty about the coming months and years. When will moratoria on water shut-offs end? When will water consumption be back to “normal”? Will utility…
Does How Often You Pay for it Matter? The Impacts of Billing Frequency
Written by Stephen Lapp At the Environmental Finance Center at UNC-Chapel Hill, we are always communicating that how you pay for it matters, but could how often you pay for it matter as well? It…
Municipal Finance in a Pandemic: How is the Market Responding?
Municipal Bonds & COVID-19: What is going on? Prior to the outbreak of COVID-19 in the US, the municipal (“muni”) bond market was strong. Investors looking for a non-taxable rate of return were hungry for…
Water System Reserves During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Local governments have an increased public health responsibility to ensure that people have access to clean water during the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, many utilities are refraining from shutting off customers’ water, despite unpaid…
Financial Implications of COVID-19 for Water and Wastewater Utilities
Water and wastewater utilities are adapting to the rapidly changing conditions imposed across the country and the world by the COVID-19 pandemic. With stay-at-home orders, closures of schools, restaurants, and other businesses, and major disruptions…
Regionalization: Five Key Takeaways with Resources!
In the past few years, the EFC has been asked to evaluate the different financial impacts of regionalization, from simple shared services agreements to full-on consolidation. Additionally, we have been evaluating barriers to and opportunities…
What’s the Use? Assessing Trends in North Carolina’s Residential Water Use
After droughts and in light of future concerns over water resources, the topic of conservation has risen in importance. While regional differences in supply concerns exist across the United States and even on a smaller…
Reclaim Review: A Snapshot of the 2019 Survey and Legislation in Arizona
Written by Ashley Bleggi As far back as 1926, Arizona has been a leader in the ever evolving world of water reuse. With the release of the 2019 Arizona Water and Wastewater Rates Dashboard, we…