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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…
How do North Carolina commercial rates compare to residential rates?
The Environmental Finance Center at the University of North Carolina (UNC EFC) is hard at work on the 2022 North Carolina water and wastewater rates dashboard. We look forward to providing residential rates early in…
Outside Rates: Why Are They Higher?
Water and sewer utilities have a responsibility to develop a system to serve all customers within their jurisdictional boundaries, but outside customers live outside that political jurisdiction. There is a lot of discourse concerning the…
Important Water Investments Within the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
The newly passed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (H.R. 3684) is a significant investment in not only our nation’s infrastructure, but also our nation’s long-term sustainability. Now that the bill has been signed into law, it…