MISI Score
17.7
Stable
Project NC / Avery County
Elk Park
BOTH · Avery CountyPWSID NC0106025
Score Confidence
0.9%
Peer Percentile
34.3th
As of
Sep 10, 2026
EXPLANATION
Score Drivers
- MISI score is 17.719 (Stable).
- Lead & Copper Rule Risk adds 7.994 points. Lead and copper risk contributes +8 because direct lead sample exceedances were recorded: lead sample exceedances=1, copper sample exceedances=8, legacy action-level exceedances=0, open LCR violations=0. variance weighting adjusted headline contribution from 8 to 7.994.
- Compliance Escalation adds 5.929 points. Operational compliance contributes +6: 4 violations or enforcement actions have been recorded within the last three years. variance weighting adjusted headline contribution from 6.000000 to 5.929.
- High-AGI Out-Migration adds 1.997 points. Revenue-fragility AGI outmigration contributes +2: net AGI migration is -832.00 (thousands, tax year 2022). variance weighting adjusted headline contribution from 2 to 1.997.
- Climate Hazard Exposure adds 1.799 points. Operational climate hazard exposure contributes +2: FEMA NRI composite score is 47.4900. variance weighting adjusted headline contribution from 2 to 1.799.
- Missing or unresolved factors: Infrastructure Capital Gap, PFAS Contamination Risk, Project Status Staleness.
MARKET INTERPRETATION
What the data suggests
Elk Park is a smaller community water system, serving approximately 495 residents. At the latest reading, the system shows limited signs of structural stress.
The score is being driven mainly by Capex Pressure, with Operational Stress adding further pressure. The pressure is distributed rather than concentrated in a single dimension.
4 active stress signals are attached to this system, including one at high severity. The breadth of active signals, even without concentrated high severity, suggests pressure across more than one dimension.
Within its peer cohort, this system ranks around the 34th percentile on measured stress, placing it below typical peer-group stress levels.
Recent score history has been relatively steady, consistent with the system's overall profile.
This summary is based on structured, source-backed public data and is intended for research and monitoring only. It is not investment advice, a credit opinion, or municipal advisory guidance.
SCORE STACK
Family Contributions
Operational Stress7.7 / 20.0
Capex Pressure8.0 / 20.0
Revenue Fragility2.0 / 20.0
Rate Constraint0.0 / 20.0
Governance Risk0.0 / 20.0
SL 2020-79
SWIA Assessment History
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 4 |
ACTIVE SIGNALS
4 Signals
Compliance Escalation
Repeated or serious compliance failures often indicate rising operational and infrastructure stress.
Score impact: 5.9 · Family: Operational Stress
Climate Hazard Exposure
Elevated drought and flood exposure raises outage, source-water, and infrastructure reliability stress.
Score impact: 1.8 · Family: Operational Stress
Lead & Copper Rule Risk
Lead and copper exceedances and replacement obligations can drive near-term treatment and capital pressure.
Score impact: 8.0 · Family: Capex Pressure
High-AGI Out-Migration
High-AGI outmigration erodes the rate base and compresses affordability headroom.
Score impact: 2.0 · Family: Revenue Fragility
HISTORY
Score Trend
Latest
17.7
Trend
+11.7
Observations
111
NC TREASURER FBA
Financial Benchmarks
Population547
General Fund Expenditure$439K
Fund Balance Available$945K
Fund Balance %215.1%
Cash & Investments$1.2M
Assessed Valuation$36.7M
Tax Rate0.3
Effective Tax Rate0.2
Tax Collection %94.2%
Amount Uncollected$6K
Days Cash on Hand
200
Days Cash As Of
Jun 30, 2024
Population Served
495