Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2020NC173B

Multidimensional Assessment of North Carolina Community Water System Vulnerabilities

Institute: North Carolina
Year Established: 2020 Start Date: 2020-03-01 End Date: 2021-02-27
Total Federal Funds: $12,000 Total Non-Federal Funds: $57,912

Principal Investigators: Megan Mullin

Project Summary: Strong financial and operational underpinnings reduce risk to water systems inthe face of changing population, land use, climate, natural events, and regulations, yet decisionmakers and the public have limited information to assess the overall condition of a water system.The proposed research will assess the nature and distribution of vulnerabilities in North Carolinacommunity water systems through achievement of two objectives. First is development of anexpert-informed, multidimensional assessment of water system vulnerability that can supportstate decision making on technical assistance, funding, and enforcement. The second objective isevaluation of whether the signals that the public receives about water system performancecorrelate with other measures of system vulnerability. Understanding visible signals ofperformance can help advance strategies for local financing of infrastructure investment. Theproject involves a robust information transfer component to help target fiscal and policyinterventions that can mitigate community water system risks.