The Environmental Finance Center at UNC is hosting a finance forum for drinking water systems in collaboration with the EPA’s Water Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center(link is external), EPA Region 4 and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management. The forum will be held in the Marriott Shoals Hotel of Florence, Alabama.

Water utilities generally get most of their revenue from user charges. In order to ensure proper funding of utilities, it is critical that small water systems fully understand both rate setting and long-term fiscal planning. Systems should understand how policy decisions that promote economic development or conservation can impact revenues and aim to set rates that promote utility priorities while recovering the full cost of operation.

The forum will help address the financial stability of small water systems while providing safe, quality drinking water at fair rates. Topics include many aspects of financial management and planning of a water system fund including rates and rate setting, controlling costs, planning for capital expenses, benchmarking financial performance, and collaboration between nearby small systems.

This forum is designed for drinking water systems serving 10,000 or fewer people, especially targeting local government systems facing financial challenges. Owners of privately owned systems, consultants and technical assistance providers serving small water systems are also invited to attend, provided that there is space.

There are a limited number of seats. Interested participants who require financial assistance with lodging should contact roseab@live.unc.edu(link sends e-mail).

Small drinking water systems in the following eight Region 4 states are invited to register:

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

The forum has been submitted for CEU approval to the various states and thus far has been approved in:

• NC for 6 credits

Register for the forum here. 

HOTEL: Marriott Shoals Hotel, 10 Hightower Place, Florence, Alabama 35630

To help keep the cost of this forum relatively low for participants, we have negotiated a below-market discounted rate of $154.29 per night at the same hotel where the forum is being held. This rate includes tax. Interested participants who require financial assistance with lodging should contact roseab@live.unc.edu(link sends e-mail).

This rate is guaranteed through July 10, 2017 Book your room at this group rate today!