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Water System Capacity Development Support: |
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Inter-System Partnerships, Cooperation and Regionalization What forms of partnerships exist between water systems in North Carolina? How many water systems are physically interconnected? How much water is sold through bulk sales agreements between systems? What should a utility consider while creating a new inter-local water agreement? After extensively reviewing and creating databases, examining hundreds of interlocal agreements, and working very closely with certain communities across NC that are attempting to create new regional partnerships, we produced the following tools and trainings to answer these questions and to assist water system managers in their capacity to partner with their neighboring systems.
_____________________________________________________ Inventory and interactive map of current water system interconnections and bulk sales After reviewing data on water system interconnections and bulk sales from Public Water Supply Section at NC DENR, Local Water Supply Plans from various years, the Rural Economic Development Center's "Water 2030" assessment, and after making hundreds of phonecalls to water system managers across the state, we created a comprehensive database of all water system interconnections in NC, with data on the contracts and sales of water between systems. Click on any line in the interactive Google map below (click here to enlarge) to access data from 2008 on water sales between water systems in NC. The lines do not represent the actual location of the pipes, but connects two random points within the service areas of the systems that are interconnected. View larger map and details Map Channels: free mapping tools Since 2002, water systems in the Central Coastal Plains of North Carolina have faced mandatory cutbacks on groundwater withdrawals, which has led to a significant increase in the number of interconnections between systems in the region. Here is a Google map of the water system interconnections as they were in the Central Coastal Plains in 2002 before the cutbacks, and again as they existed in 2008; these data were obtained directly from utility managers as part of this project. Back to top Tips for establishing water partnership agreements
After reviewing hundreds of interlocal agreements, mostly focused on bulk sales agreements, we have created Tips for Establishing Water Partnership Agreements (pdf) , which are available online. The tips are written in the form of answers to a key set of questions that we believe should be asked (and in most cases addressed) as agreements are developed. We welcome and seek comments from practitioners to improve the tips on our blog. Back to top Presentations and training materials on water system partnerships in NC A comprehensive list of presentations and training materials, including recorded webinars that you may access freely, will be listed here soon. All of the presentations are currently listed on the EFC's main Events and Trainings page, under the "Water and Wastewater" subheading. Back to top Direct assistance to several communities in NC considering new regional partnerships The EFC provided direct assistance to several local governments and communities in NC that are/were considering creating new interlocal agreements and partnerships to provide water services. Work is currently ongoing. Back to top Background: Why focus on inter-system partnerships? There is evidence suggesting that systems that enter into partnerships with other systems increase their capacity to provide high quality service to their customers. These arrangements may take the form of simple bulk water sales agreements to full out consolidation. Forging these types of quality partnerships can be extremely difficult for many reasons including the lack of impartial mediators, lack of adequately reviewed agreements, and proper financial assessments. One of the other obstacles facing the state and water systems is the lack of readily accessible information concerning what types of partnerships are technically and legally possible in a given area. The EFC provided support to the Public Water Supply Section to assess the potential for interconnections and other types of partnerships and carried out a series of tasks to support the ability of systems in the state to enter into these agreements. |