Meeting Multiple Objectives and Regulatory Challenges (WRF #5175)

Today’s water utilities are facing unprecedented challenges to their primary mission — providing reliable and accessible water service, protecting human health and the environment, and making wise infrastructure investments — all while maintaining regulatory compliance and affordable rates. A new paradigm of drivers and disruptors requires water utilities to move from traditional lowest-cost and siloed investments to innovative One Water strategies that yield higher returns through an integrated approach.

The intersection between Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act requirements is an important factor in various municipal water programs, which demonstrates an opportunity to manage water holistically through systems-based approaches.

The Water Research Foundation and its subscribers have led the water sector in One Water research for more than a decade. These efforts have provided formative guidance to municipal water utilities seeking to advance and integrate their traditional planning approaches.

WRF 5175 continues to build on previous research and provides the water sector with a utility-facing, One Water Planning guidance document to identify, prioritize and implement interconnected strategies across all phases of the urban hydrologic cycle, while meeting regulatory requirements, environmental objectives and community priorities. In addition, this project will develop a holistic decision framework that can help utilities choose from and prioritize interconnected projects and initiatives at utilities.

Project Partners: Anne Arundel County, City of Aurora, California Association of Sanitation Agencies, Cape Fear Public Utility Authority, Central Contra Costa Sanitary District, City of Grand Junction, City and County of Honolulu, Clean Water Services, Dallas Water Utilities, Denver Water, EPCOR, HRSD, City of Houston, Indian River County Utilities, Johnson County Wastewater, Loudoun Water, Metropolitan Council Environmental Services, Metro Water Recovery, Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, New Braunfels Utilities, City of New Braunfels, Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority, New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, Ontario Clean Water Agencies, Orange County Water District, Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans, Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority, Philadelphia Water Department, Pinellas County Utilities, City of St Petersburg, Region of Peel, Regional Municipality of Durham, Salt Lake City Corporation, Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority, Seattle Public Utilities, City of Springfield, Toronto Water, Tucson Water, City of Westminster, York Region.