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Threat of Flooding in Communities with Stormwater Systems <br />at <br />High Threat <br />3% <br />Low <br />4 <br />^ Six out of 10 municipalities with sto~mwater systems have guidelines preventing <br />new developtnent within the 100-year floodplain, the minimum standard for <br />the Nationa7 Ploocl Insurance Peogram. Compllance rates may be hi~her if <br />county ~ilans cover municipalities. <br />^ Only 5.6 petcent of municipalities currently operate their stonnwater systems <br />]ike other utilities, with fees to raise revenue for improvements. <br />^ Analysts project the statewide need for stormwater control investments at $0.57 <br />billion by 2010 and an additi~nal $090 billion in thc following 20 years, or a <br />total of $1.47 Uillion by 2030. <br />~V11JOC f111dIItgS North Carolfna's public utilities will require a major infusion of capftal to keep pace <br />with necessary improvements and population growth. <br />North Caroli~~a has invested heavily in water, sewer and stomiwater infrastructure <br />in recent years. (Nor additional details, see thc accompanying reports °lmpact of <br />1998 Clean Water Bonds" and "7iends in Water and Sewer Financing.°) Even so, <br />the demands of a growing poptdation and requirements related to environmenta] <br />protection and safe drinking wateT will continue to challenge the state and iks localities <br />over the next 25 years. Slightly over half of the needed investment falls in rural coun- <br />ties: $N.56 billion of the total $16.6 billion in pcojected capital needs. With stmggling <br />economies and small populations, many rural communities have ]acked the ftnancial <br />resources to upgrade their infrastructure. One result is that a high percentage of sewer <br />systems under moratoria and Special Orders of Consent are located in mral counties. <br />Rural systems also Teported more than twice the volume of I&1 as urban systems. <br />The need for water system Improvements wlll soon outpace that for sewer systems. <br />Sewage treatment systems are complex and costly operations, and they consumed the <br />majoriry of water/sewer funding in recent years as communities struggled to come into <br />compliar~ce with clean water regulatlons. 'fhe need for drinking water, l~owevee, wil] <br />,o G-~1 <br />