utilities – Page 2 – Environmental Finance Blog

Stacey Isaac Berahzer is a Senior Project Director for the Environmental Finance Center at the University of North Carolina, and works from a satellite office in Georgia.

Stormwater utilities are an interesting finance tool for addressing nonpoint sources of water pollution, flooding etc. They are enterprise funds within a local government, which means that they are supposed to be self-sufficient. Getting a stormwater utility approved in a community can be controversial, to say the least. But, it has been proven time and time again that one key to success is a proper public vetting process, incorporating all the relevant stakeholders. Georgia boasts some examples of how cutting-corners in the initiating of a utility can be the demise of the whole affair. But, the state can also claim some very well-run utilities that have managed public expectations on the “level of service” practical with the utility fees. Continue reading

Christine E. Boyle, PhD is a Post-doctoral Fellow at the Environmental Finance Center. Dr. Boyle investigates new models for sustainable local water and energy provision.

Despite mounting evidence that rainwater harvesting systems present a cost-effective option for water and stormwater utilities to cope with protecting their water supply, a recent straw poll of rainwater harvesting industry professionals gathering at the recent American Rainwater Catchment System Association (ARCSA) annual meeting indicated utilities are more commonly viewed as foes, and not friends, of the rainwater harvesting industry. Aside from a few notable exceptions (i.e. Chapel Hill, NC, Austin, TX, San Diego, CA), utility concerns over public health, water sales declines, and a host of other issues have prevented widespread adoption of rainwater harvesting as an alternative water source and stormwater mitigation strategy. This situation presented a puzzle to Dr. Bill Hunt of NC State University, who presented growing evidence of utility-sponsored rainwater harvesting systems in water scarce locales of New Zealand, Australia, and Singapore at the ARCSA meeting. Continue reading

Tag: utilities (Page 2 of 2)

The Universe of Stormwater Utilities in Georgia

The slow march forward of utilities embracing rainwater harvesting as an alternative water supply

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