The tables below represent the feedback collected via the regionalization study’s general input survey. Blank responses were deleted and responses were edited only for spelling errors. Please reach out to the study team at regionalizationstudy@sog.unc.edu with questions.
General Input Survey Responses as of November 3, 2025
Question
Response
Name
Andrew Foy
Are you answering on behalf of an organization?
Yes
Organization Type
Utility serving a population between 501-3,300
Please describe your organization.
(blank)
Describe your interest in regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems.
As a small utility that already has contracts in place for purchased water and wastewater treatment, I am interested in the potential impacts to our ratepayers should we consider a complete merger with some of our regional partners to facilitate O&M of the distribution and collection systems, billing, management, etc.
What factors serve as impediments or drawbacks to regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
Cost of connections, availability of partners, willingness of elected officials and management to consider shared control of infrastructure.
What factors serve as motivators and/or supporters of regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
Cost of capital programs, availability of staff, specialized skills required to operate and maintain utility infrastructure.
What changes (legal, regulatory, financial) might encourage or ease burdens related to regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
Unsure/Unknown.
Use the space below to provide any other input regarding regionalization in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems.
(blank)
Question
Response
Name
Christopher Doherty
Are you answering on behalf of an organization?
Yes
Organization Type
Utility serving a population between 10,001-100,000
Please describe your organization.
(blank)
Describe your interest in regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems.
economies of scale and one number to call
What factors serve as impediments or drawbacks to regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
POLITICS (especially rural)
What factors serve as motivators and/or supporters of regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
Economies of scale and the larger utilities helping the smaller utilities
What changes (legal, regulatory, financial) might encourage or ease burdens related to regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
Legal, who owns what in each city/county, finances
Use the space below to provide any other input regarding regionalization in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems.
needs to be encouraged from the legislature and DEQ
Question
Response
Name
Junaluska Sanitary District
Are you answering on behalf of an organization?
Yes
Organization Type
Utility serving a population between 501-3,300
Please describe your organization.
(blank)
Describe your interest in regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems.
In general, we recognize that in certain areas regionalization can benefit certain systems. In our area there are great concerns about regionalization and currently do not see this as a viable solution. Unfortunately, politics play a lot into this and it would not be in the best or correct/right interest of our customers and the county as a whole. Regionalization would only be supported when it is Voluntary by all parties. For our area there is too much “territorial” and control issues. Systems would have to be and willing to be partners and currently that is not the case in our specific area.
What factors serve as impediments or drawbacks to regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
Control, partnerships and politics
What factors serve as motivators and/or supporters of regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
None in our area. Could be for helping systems that need and ask for it.
What changes (legal, regulatory, financial) might encourage or ease burdens related to regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
It must be a Voluntary situation
Use the space below to provide any other input regarding regionalization in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems.
(blank)
Question
Response
Name
Kevin Howell
Are you answering on behalf of an organization?
Yes
Organization Type
Utility serving a population over 100,000
Please describe your organization.
(blank)
Describe your interest in regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems.
Highly Interested
What factors serve as impediments or drawbacks to regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
Collaboration with others who may think they are losing control of their utility. The costs associated with regionalization such as assuming the debt and Maintenance of dilapidated infrastructure.
What factors serve as motivators and/or supporters of regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
Providing affordable drinking water to all citizens. Smaller utilities are not able to maintain their systems due to staffing and funding. Compliance regulations are a burden on smaller utilities.
What changes (legal, regulatory, financial) might encourage or ease burdens related to regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
Infrastructure funding opportunities provided by the State or Federal Government. Consistency in the political environment such that regulations aren’t changing every 2-4 years. This should be a non-partisan effort.
Use the space below to provide any other input regarding regionalization in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems.
PWC feels that regionalization is a benefit to NC, however it will come with challenges such as funding and collaboration with other utilities.
Question
Response
Name
Randy McNeill, PE
Are you answering on behalf of an organization?
Yes
Organization Type
Consultant/Engineer
Please describe your organization.
(blank)
Describe your interest in regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems.
Assisting City’s and County Governments with evaluating potential regional water and sewer systems, and in evaluating expansion of regional systems. Services would include PER, ER, Grant. Loan applications and management, permitting, design, bidding, construction management, and resident engineering services
What factors serve as impediments or drawbacks to regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
Lack of utility owners giving up control, complex permitting, inter basin transfer requirements, available funding for implementation of regional systems. etc
What factors serve as motivators and/or supporters of regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
Opportunity to increase systems reliability, reduce O&M cost and rates, increase opportunities for grant loan funding. etc
What changes (legal, regulatory, financial) might encourage or ease burdens related to regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
(blank)
Use the space below to provide any other input regarding regionalization in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems.
(blank)
Question
Response
Name
Scott Kidd
Are you answering on behalf of an organization?
Yes
Organization Type
Utility serving a population between 501-3,300
Please describe your organization.
(blank)
Describe your interest in regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems.
We are in conversations with Randolph County as well as the City of Greensboro about regionalization of water and wastewater – getting close to our first interlocal agreement to start moving forward
What factors serve as impediments or drawbacks to regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
My Council is concerned over control and water quality – they are also concerned in overall cost to customers
What factors serve as motivators and/or supporters of regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
we are on wells currently and have spray fields for land apply of wastewater – we have a special order of consent for wastewater and have minimal expansion options and we have no water back up
What changes (legal, regulatory, financial) might encourage or ease burdens related to regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
financial help on connection to a regional partner – we have completed a WWTP planning grant as well as are looking at various grants to help pay for this
Use the space below to provide any other input regarding regionalization in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems.
As your article eluded to – our council is concerned of losing “control” but are concerned of lack of growth if we do not find a regional partner
Question
Response
Name
Shannon Becker
Are you answering on behalf of an organization?
Yes
Organization Type
Other
Please describe your organization.
Aqua NC is an investor-owned water and sewer utility regulated by the NCUC. Aqua NC is one of the eight Aqua states with water and sewer operations wholly owned by Essential Utilities (NYSE: WTRG). Aqua NC owns and operates more than 750 PWSIDs (1/3 of all PWSID’s in NC) and 60 wastewater plants in 51 counties across North Carolina. We have approximately 86,000 water and 26,000 sewer connections serving an estimated population of >300,000 people. Our average water system size is 117 connections. Regionalization of utility systems is effectively what we have successfully done and who we are.
Describe your interest in regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems.
Aqua NC, along with other NC based regulated investor-owned utilities, can be a potential solution to North Carolina’s water and wastewater regionalization efforts. We are already doing it.
What factors serve as impediments or drawbacks to regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
Impediments to regionalization include: 1) Local decision makers may resist consolidation due to concerns about loss of control growth, rates increases, and perceived issues with service delivery and customer service, 2) Lack of awareness of options and benefits outside of the neighboring municipality, 3) concerns with continued employment for local resident utility workers, 4) Equity – Concerns that well-managed systems pay for the failures of poorly managed systems.
What factors serve as motivators and/or supporters of regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
Current System Owner Motivators to regionalize include: 1) reduced need to raise capital/increased access to capital for infrastructure needs 2) utility managed by dedicated operations, compliance, engineering utility experts to efficiently manage costs and minimizes risk, 3) rates set based on actual costs, 4) economies of scale via shared certified operators, 5) minimize risk of compliance (compliance with SDWA, PFAS), 6) improved capital planning, 7) improved access to technological advances (monitoring software, capital management systems, operating systems), 8) stabilizing rates via consolidating rates across a larger population, 9) access to extended support systems/personnel during emergencies.
What changes (legal, regulatory, financial) might encourage or ease burdens related to regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
1) Official designation of troubled utility systems that provides access to a streamlined acquisition/transfer process, 2) a streamlined acquisition/transfer process, 3) Inclusion of IOU’s in the regionalization process and awareness of IOU’s as an option.
Use the space below to provide any other input regarding regionalization in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems.
Regulated IOUs, like Aqua NC, are well-capitalized, professionally managed, and have the ability to absorb and offer natural regionalization throughout the state. Aqua alone maintains an operations presence in 51 counties across the state and can additionally expand into new areas with some customer density to sustain necessary incremental field operational needs; typically fulfilled by mutual agreement to hire all/most existing utility employees (which also minimizes utility system concerns as to what happens to their current employees). IOU functional support teams (management, engineering, compliance, IT, accounting, billing/collections, and customer service) are centralized and readily available to be effectively applied anywhere we choose to serve. Additionally, systems interested in regionalizing will receive financial support that, at a minimum, will pay off any existing utility debt and likely additional amounts based on the FMV of their utility system. IOU’s offer a natural, flexible regionalization opportunity to professionally manage most existing utilities.
Economies of scale Access to capital at lower cost Improved planning and risk management Revenue stability [NC Trouble…ept 4 2024]
These attributes make IOUs uniquely positioned to take on the challenges of small, non-viable systems that lack technical, managerial, or financial capacity.
Question
Response
Name
Victor D’Amato
Are you answering on behalf of an organization?
No
Organization Type
(blank)
Please describe your organization.
(blank)
Describe your interest in regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems.
I am the supervisor of the Viable Utilities program in the Division of Water Infrastructure
What factors serve as impediments or drawbacks to regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
Board resistance and reluctance to weaken decision making powers of local governments. Lack of will to change business as usual model unless the challenges are severe.
What factors serve as motivators and/or supporters of regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
Funding incentives (priority points in application ratings, grant funding/earmarks for specific regionalization projects), Education about types of partnerships and provision of assistance to ensure that local government needs and values are maintained.
What changes (legal, regulatory, financial) might encourage or ease burdens related to regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
More funding, as full merger projects can be very expensive.
Use the space below to provide any other input regarding regionalization in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems.
Happy to help as applicable!
Question
Response
Name
Kim Rineer
Are you answering on behalf of an organization?
Yes
Organization Type
Utility serving a population over 100,000
Please describe your organization.
(blank)
Describe your interest in regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems.
Very interested. We are already a regional system and are always looking for more mutually beneficial opportunities to expand.
What factors serve as impediments or drawbacks to regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
Cost, uncertainty, loss of local control, mistrust, politics/legal/existing debt
What factors serve as motivators and/or supporters of regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
Economy of scale, inability to secure staff and technical resources, financial woes, unexpected maintenance and operational requirements, new regulations
What changes (legal, regulatory, financial) might encourage or ease burdens related to regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
Free legal, financial and technical advice to smaller systems to allow for equal representation in negotiations. Potentially provide a neutral moderator/expert to guide the process. Financial support to lessen rate impacts associated with the partnership.
Use the space below to provide any other input regarding regionalization in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems.
I believe education is key component. There is a misconception that regionalization is more of a hostile takeover or a necessity for a failed system. More need to see regionalization as a preventative positive step with options for multiple levels of integration between systems.
Question
Response
Name
Jeff Church
Are you answering on behalf of an organization?
Yes
Organization Type
Utility serving a population between 10,001-100,000
Please describe your organization.
(blank)
Describe your interest in regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems.
Redundancy, resilience, emergency preparedness
What factors serve as impediments or drawbacks to regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
Financing
What factors serve as motivators and/or supporters of regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
Redundancy, resiliency, preparation for emergencies, willingness of local government utility providers to work together
What changes (legal, regulatory, financial) might encourage or ease burdens related to regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
Streamline the funding and permitting process
Use the space below to provide any other input regarding regionalization in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems.
(blank)
Question
Response
Name
Deanna Rosario
Are you answering on behalf of an organization?
Yes
Organization Type
Utility serving a population between 3,301-10,000
Please describe your organization.
(blank)
Describe your interest in regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems.
Expanding our capacity allows us to expand as a viable town
What factors serve as impediments or drawbacks to regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
Available capacity at nearby wastewater treatment plants to purchase stakes in
What factors serve as motivators and/or supporters of regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
The ability to provide more service without breaking the budget
What changes (legal, regulatory, financial) might encourage or ease burdens related to regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
Not sure.
Use the space below to provide any other input regarding regionalization in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems.
(blank)
Question
Response
Name
Matthew Tribett
Are you answering on behalf of an organization?
Yes
Organization Type
Utility serving a population over 100,000
Please describe your organization.
(blank)
Describe your interest in regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems.
Cape Fear Public Utility Authority’s (CFPUA) interest in regionalization stems from its ability to advance long-term system sustainability, infrastructure stability, operational resiliency, and high-quality service for customers. Regionalization enables utilities to optimize resources, strengthen financial and technical capacity, and uphold a strong commitment to public health and environmental protection. The recent consolidation of Wrightsville Beach’s water and sewer systems with CFPUA demonstrates how regional partnerships can enhance system reliability, improve service delivery, and expand the ability to address external risks such as source water contamination, climate impacts, and emerging contaminants. Supported by comprehensive planning and targeted state investment, this effort demonstrates how regionalization promotes both operational excellence and public value.
What factors serve as impediments or drawbacks to regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
Key impediments include differing governance structures, varying financial positions, and uncertainty around rate alignment and long-term cost responsibilities. These challenges can be effectively managed through proactive communication, early stakeholder engagement, and strong state-supported financial assistance as demonstrated by the CFPUA and Wrightsville Beach partnership.
What factors serve as motivators and/or supporters of regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
State financial support and policy direction are among the strongest motivators for regionalization. The State’s investment in the Wrightsville Beach/CFPUA consolidation was instrumental in bridging early-stage funding gaps for feasibility assessment and infrastructure improvements. Additional motivators include improved system resiliency, economies of scale, greater technical and managerial capacity, and enhanced ability to manage shared challenges such as regulatory compliance, workforce development, and risk from emerging contaminants.
What changes (legal, regulatory, financial) might encourage or ease burdens related to regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
Expanding state funding and technical assistance programs dedicated to regionalization would continue to reduce barriers to entry, particularly for feasibility studies and interlocal agreement development. The often fragile financial status of a potential regional partner is often the most significant burden, and one-time capital funding infusions to encourage regionalization can make the difference between a successful and failed attempt to consolidate.
Use the space below to provide any other input regarding regionalization in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems.
Regionalization is most effective when it is locally driven and supported by the State. The CFPUA/Wrightsville Beach consolidation demonstrates how collaborative planning and strategic investment can deliver financial, operational, and environmental sustainability while creating lasting value and resilience for customers.
Question
Response
Name
Jana Stewart
Are you answering on behalf of an organization?
No
Organization Type
(blank)
Please describe your organization.
(blank)
Describe your interest in regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems.
Effect strategic planning for water/wastewater for Greensboro, directly affect growth and development in the future
What factors serve as impediments or drawbacks to regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
Costs of the initial capital investments
What factors serve as motivators and/or supporters of regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
Providing water/sewer regardless of municipal boundaries and forced annexation, better operated facilities that stay in compliance and meet current and future regulations,
What changes (legal, regulatory, financial) might encourage or ease burdens related to regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
Financial and regulatory support from the legislature
Use the space below to provide any other input regarding regionalization in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems.
Water and wastewater when tied directly to municipality ownership is challenged by municipal goals versus best utility goals.
Question
Response
Name
John Allen
Are you answering on behalf of an organization?
No
Organization Type
(blank)
Please describe your organization.
(blank)
Describe your interest in regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems.
Regionalization is likely the best way for small systems to be able to meet current and future drinking water (and clean water) standards while maintaining reasonable rates. Regionalization will also help small utilities maintain and/or upgrade their facilities (both pipelines and plants) to minimize sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) and maintain compliance with the various State and Federal regulations. Regionalization also helps the larger systems maintain affordable rates.
What factors serve as impediments or drawbacks to regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
Mostly political, with some funding. I would imagine most small towns and/or utilities do not want to give up control or lose that connection with their customers. Additional funding should be made available to study regionalization ($50K over 3 years is not much) and NC should look to incentivize regionalization through additional grants, loans, or other financing to make it more attractive to the systems and their boards.
What factors serve as motivators and/or supporters of regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
Permit compliance. Affordability.
What changes (legal, regulatory, financial) might encourage or ease burdens related to regionalization efforts in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems?
“Legal – remove barriers to allow a municipality to own assets in another NC county. Remove barriers so two utilities can merge (as an example) without having to go to the legislature for approval or creation of a water/sewer authority (or at least streamline that process). Regulatory – facilitate transfer of permits from one entity to the regional entity. This would include the collection system permit(s) to the discharge permits from a treatment facility. Financial – provide grants or low interest loans to the larger utility so they can bring the smaller utility’s system up to their standard (pipe replacement, upgrade lift stations, etc.).”
Use the space below to provide any other input regarding regionalization in North Carolina’s water and wastewater systems.
It may be beneficial to put together some type of overall “master plan” of how the State would see regionalization and the combination of various utilities. That could provide a roadmap and/or incentive for the affected utilities to merge or form regional partnerships. It would also allow the State to see how many potential combinations there could be and then offer some type of regulatory and/or financial incentives for the combinations to occur. Partnerships that cross state lines could be much more complicated, but they still should be identified, so cross-state coordination could start.
