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Current Blog Posts
Local Government Financial Resilience and Preparation Before a Natural Disaster
The 2017 U.S. Atlantic hurricane season is officially the most expensive ever, amounting to $202.6 billion in damages across the Atlantic basin. This record-breaking hurricane season brought some of the most catastrophic storms in recent…
How Communities Can Save Money on National Flood Insurance
Throughout 2017, there has been discussion in Congress surrounding the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which is set to expire tomorrow, Dec. 8. The program was established in 1968 as a service to at-risk communities…
Staying Up to Date with North Carolina Stormwater Utility Fees
In order to better understand the stormwater finance and governance landscape, the Environmental Finance Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill recently inventoried and analyzed the stormwater fees used by 74 municipalities…
Five Communication Tips for Stormwater Incentive Programs
Stormwater incentive programs are a creative tool used by some towns and cities to encourage community participation in stormwater management practices. Many of the incentive programs encourage citizens to install green stormwater infrastructure projects on…
Catawba County’s Innovative Water Service Partnership Model
It seems like almost everyone, including regulators and utility organizations, recognize the benefits and need for expanded partnerships and collaboration in the water and wastewater sector. Small towns are finding it difficult to meet their…
Top Five Small Town Websites and Tips to Improve Your Own
For many small towns, websites are the main avenue of communication with residents. At the Environmental Finance Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, we use town websites to find contact information,…
A Return to Growing Capital Outlays on Water and Wastewater Infrastructure?
The year 2010 marked the start of an unusual period in the water sector. For five years running, total capital outlays by local governments in the United States on water and wastewater infrastructure declined year…
Environmental Impact Bonds: Realistic Expectations for a Promising Trend
Guest post by Reed Perry, a Master of Environmental Management candidate at the Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment. A $25 million dollar Environmental Impact Bond (EIB) issued by DC Water last year has…