US EPA Water Utilities as Anchor Institutions

The Challenge

Water utilities invest billions in infrastructure and have the opportunity to impact the broader social and economic fabric of their communities with those investments. EPA’s Office of Wastewater Management and Office of Community Revitalization needed to articulate how utilities could move beyond their traditional role to serve as anchor institutions, driving economic resilience and community well-being, but lacked a framework for what that looks like in practice.

Our Role

From 2018 to 2024, Ross Strategic supported EPA’s Office of Water, engaging utility leaders nationwide to explore the utility-community relationship. Through interviews and facilitated discussions, the team developed a conceptual framework outlining key practices utilities can adopt to promote equity, sustain infrastructure investments, and advance community goals. Ross Strategic refined the framework based on utility leader input, developed case studies of utilities putting these principles into action, and hosted a webinar featuring utility leaders sharing lessons learned.