Meeting Multiple Objectives and Regulatory Challenges

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.