AG 2007 06 18 - Laserfiche WebLink

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once a significant factor in inhastructure development - has b~n declining. ln the face oP record federal budgeY deficiYS, this trend is expecYed to contlnue. The sYaYe has made several efforts to su~~i~lement federal financing - most significantly through the 199A Clean Water Bonds. Its ongoing tole in infrastruchare financing has yet to be detennined. Launching Water2030 Against this background, the Rural Center determined that North Carolina would bene- fit from a new, far-teaching examinaHon of water, sewer and stormwater infrastructure. In 2004, it launched Water 2030 ko detail the state's water resource needs over the neact 25 years and to explore choices that will ensure North Carolinians in every part of the state will have access to ample supplies of c]ean water. The initiative encompassed several rel2ted projects. These included an assessment of the impact of the 1998 Clean Water [~onds, the latest in the Rural Center's ongoing effort to track water and sewer construction financing, an infrastructure and capital ^eeds inventory, an examination of the available supply of water against tl~e growing demand for it, and an extensive public education and uutreach campaign. 'I'his report focuses o~ Water 203U's capital needs inventory. OYher aspects of the in9tiative aee covered in accompanying publications. Inventory design and execution 77ie capital needs invcnkory was designed Tp capture infonnation critica] to assessing public water and clean water infrastrudure throughout North Caxolina. R sought to determine both the short- and long-term need for water, sewer and stormwater inf~a- structure improvements. "I'o help carry out data collection and analysis, the Rural Center retained the services of three consulting agencies. 'IWo engineering timis conducted data collection on water, sewer and stormwater systems; McUill Associates in the west and Hobbs, Upchurch and Associates in the east. AMEC Earth and Environmental lnc. provided quality conhol oversight. Specific steps in the process included: ^ Identification of all public systems owning and/or operating drinking water, sewer or stocmwater utilities ]n each of North Carolina's 100 counties. ^ Development and testing of qttesrionnaires. Initial quesrionnaires were tested on three systems in each of the state's distinct geobraphic regions.'I'he yuestion- naires were mociified to clarify questions and improve the accuracy of responses. ^ Survey imPlementation. Lach system owner received the detailed quesrionnaire and three maps,ltvo of the maps showed the service area boundaries for water and sewer systems as they existed in 1998. (Maps were generated from 1998 survey data for systems that had participated in it and hom infonnation available through the State Center for Geographic Infocmation ancl Analysis.) G-~`