Blog
Current Blog Posts
Spring has sprung – It’s water and wastewater enterprise budget time!
Post by Tom Roberts, Senior Business Analyst at the UNC EFC With the change of season, most units of government have started their budget process for the next fiscal year. In addition to their general…
Why Are Dashboards an Effective Medium for Communicating Rates Data and How Do Decision-Makers Use Them?
Post by Evan Liebgott, Research Assistant at the UNC EFC Big picture: the “why” of dashboards The Environmental Finance Center at the University of North Carolina (UNC EFC) has been creating water and wastewater rates…
Using the Integrated Planning Framework for Advancing Environmental Justice
Post by Omid Barr, Project Director at the UNC EFC The last blog post on the benefits of using the EPA’s Integrated Planning Framework discussed opportunities for municipalities to incorporate climate change concerns into a…
Undergraduate Thesis Study Highlights Racial Disparities in NC Water and Wastewater Affordability
Guest Post by Abigail Holdsclaw Water infrastructure across the country is aging. There are significant capital needs and funding has not kept pace. To offset the costs of replacing aging infrastructure, many utilities have incrementally…
Stormwater Fee Structure Design: Is One Fee Structure More ‘Equitable?’
Stormwater, or simply runoff, is precipitation that does not soak into the ground. Stormwater management involves controlling the quantity and quality of stormwater as it eventually enters waterways via ditches, culverts, and stormwater drains. Success…
ARPA Final Rule Flexibility for Water, Wastewater, and Stormwater Projects
Post by Kimberly Kirkhart and Stephen Lapp at the UNC EFC After much anticipation, the U.S. Treasury released updated guidance concerning the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). On January 6th, 2022, the U.S. Treasury…
Green Revolving Funds: How can universities encourage investments in sustainability?
Post by Omid Barr, Evan Liebgott, and Stephen Lapp at the UNC EFC Last year, UNC Chapel Hill received a $1 million donation from Champion Athleticwear to establish the Champion Sustainability Fund at…
What Funds Are Flowing Out of the Infrastructure Bill for Small System Water and Wastewater Projects?
Post by Stephen Lapp, Omid Barr, and Elsemarie Mullins at the UNC EFC The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) was signed into law on November 15, 2021. This legislation includes $50 billion for water/wastewater infrastructure, distributed…