By Justin Nolan, Project Director, UNC Environmental Finance Center The craft beer industry is exploding across North Carolina, from around 200 breweries in 2019 to 430 in 2023. According to a recent study on the beer industry’s economic impact, … Read more

  By Kathryn Obenshain, Project Analyst, & Hope Thomson, Project Director at the UNC EFC Providing environmental services can be expensive, and how those services are paid for is important. Often, recipients of those services, the customers, directly support the costs. … Read more

  Post by Emma Copenhaver, Project Analyst at the UNC Environmental Finance Center What Is Septic? When you flush the toilet, take a shower, or do the dishes, water is being used to wash away waste, but where does this … Read more

The North Carolina Water and Wastewater Rates Dashboard was updated with 2021 data and the 2021 North Carolina Water and Wastewater Rates Report was published. Check them out today and join us for our June 15 webinar. We are thankful for another year of … Read more

Over the past 6 months, the EFC has continued to investigate how utilities across NC are faring as the ongoing pandemic continues to create a variety of challenges related to revenue and operations.

Written by: Ryan Vulpis In the state of North Carolina, many stormwater programs are required by the US EPA to maintain a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Permit. This permit is designed to ensure that jurisdictions protect water quality … Read more

August has been a key transition month for local government utilities in North Carolina as EO 124/142 (which prohibited disconnections due to non-payment for residential utility accounts) has expired, payment plans are required to be in place, and Governor Cooper … Read more

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 scale, within states, there have … Read more

Leigh DeForest is a graduate fellow in the 2019 Leaders in Environment and Finance (LEAF) program. As a part of the LEAF Fellowship, Leigh spent the summer of 2019 working at Triangle J Council of Governments. While at Triangle J … Read more

What happens if a water utility collects less in revenues than it pays in expenditures in one year? It will raise some alarms, but some utilities might be able to weather that shortfall by dipping into their reserves and bounce … Read more