The US Environmental Protection Agency Office of Water has partnered with the Environmental Finance Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Environmental Finance Center at the University of Maryland to support integrated planning for municipal stormwater and wastewater. … Read more
Post by Evan Kirk, Project Director at the UNC EFC The EFC has been partnered with the US EPA since August 2021 to develop resources and lead workshops designed to assist municipalities and state permitting authorities in getting … Read more
This report answers the top 5 financial questions about integrated planning. What are the financial benefits of developing an integrated plan? How do municipalities prioritize their water infrastructure investments to get the biggest bang for the buck? What is an … Read more
Post by Delia Wegner, Graduate Research Assistant at the UNC EFC What is a Capital Improvement Plan? Paying for the rehabilitation, replacement, and upgrades of water and wastewater equipment is an ongoing issue for utilities of all sizes. Like … Read more
Post by Elsemarie Mullins, Project Director at the UNC EFC Customer Assistance Programs (CAPs) are often offered as a solution to providing water to low-income customers as well as meeting the revenue requirement of a utility. With the need … Read more
This interactive dashboard is designed to assist utility managers and local officials with benchmarking residential water rates against multiple attributes, including system characteristics, customer base socioeconomic conditions, and geography. Rates data for this dashboard are drawn from the West Virginia … Read more
Post by Andrew Waters, Project Director, and Kathryn Obenshain, Research Assistant at the UNC EFC There’s an old adage about a brand-new car dramatically losing value the moment it’s driven off the lot. In this crazy economy, where the value … Read more
Post by Anna Patterson, Project Director at the UNC EFC Water and wastewater utilities are often faced with tricky financial problems that do not have clear-cut solutions. Luckily, the Environmental Finance Center Network (EFCN) is here to help! … Read more
Climate change is causing increases in both total precipitation volume and precipitation intensity. A warming climate also causes seawater to expand and ice over land to melt, contributing to sea level rise. These changes in global patterns increase the frequency … Read more
Post by Hope Thomson, Project Director at the UNC EFC The past few years of the global COVID-19 pandemic has certainly had its impact on all sectors of society, including water and wastewater utilities. An early 2020 report by Raftelis … Read more
