Overview
Lauren Patterson joined Duke's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions as a policy associate in October 2013. Her research focuses on changes in average streamflow, floods, and droughts due to climate and human impacts. She has also worked on water utility financing, water transfers between utilities, and drought probabilities. Lauren has an affinity for data analysis and visualization.
Before joining the Nicholas Institute, she contracted at RTI International to provide geospatial and data analysis support in the development of ecological flow recommendations for North Carolina's Ecological Flow Advisory Board. Prior to her time at RTI, she worked at the Environmental Finance Center at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, serving as a GIS and Financial Analyst focused on modeling future potential water transfers in North Carolina and developing sustainable finance strategies for the Upper Neuse watershed.
She has a Ph.D. in geography from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Recent Publications
Affordability of household water services across the United States
Journal Article PLOS Water · May 10, 2023 Households that cannot be able to afford their water bills may lose access to drinking water and wastewater services. This study seeks to quantify how many households may struggle to pay for water services across 787 of the largest drinking water providers ... Full text CiteFinancial Capability and Performance: Assessing Trends Among North Carolina Utilities
Journal Article Journal - American Water Works Association · January 1, 2023 Of 301 analyzed utilities in North Carolina, 51% reported operating revenues less than operating expenditures—operating ratios (ORs) less than 1. Affordability burden and OR were both affected by utilities’ respective population size, population growth or ... Full text CiteCustomer Assistance Programs and Water Affordability
Journal Article Journal - American Water Works Association · June 1, 2022 Water affordability is a growing concern, with inflation, aging infrastructure, source water protection, climate change, and other factors pushing up the cost of providing water. Customer assistance program (CAP) rate discounts provide needed assistance bu ... Full text CiteRecent Grants
BHPF - IoW Phased Implementation
Public ServiceData Analyst · Awarded by BHP Foundation · 2021 - 2026Rethinking the future of water infrastructure in Small & Shrinking Cities
ResearchData Analyst · Awarded by Spring Point Partners LLC · 2019 - 2023Implementing the Internet of Water
ResearchSenior Research Associate · Awarded by Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation · 2018 - 2022View All Grants