U.S. WATER ALLIANCE
Introduction
Across the country, water utilities, in close collaboration with a diverse range of stakeholders, are acting as catalysts for change. In Hampton Roads, VA, a regional wastewater utility is combatting sea level rise and land subsidence with an innovative groundwater recharge project. Water managers in Louisville, KY, are working with their counterparts in other city agencies to reform workforce and procurement processes that improve training and hiring of vulnerable populations. In Camden, NJ, utilities, environmental organizations, community members, and city agencies have formed an unprecedented collaborative to install over 49 green stormwater infrastructure projects to address flooding and water quality issues. In Madison, WI, utilities and farmers have initiated partnerships across a watershed to reduce nutrients and deliver impressive water quality improvements. In Denver, CO, the drinking water utility has set forth a far reaching and proactive plan to accelerate the removal of lead service lines in homes throughout the metropolitan area.
There are many signs that water management in the United States is entering another great era of change and innovation. Referred to as One Water, this shift in how we view, value, and manage water is taking root across the nation. When we discuss the factors that are driving One Water solutions, we often focus on the technical and policy underpinnings. However, underlying the One Water innovations spreading throughout the country is a story of change leadership that is shifting the water sector toward this more holistic, sustainable, and inclusive approach.
At the US Water Alliance, we believe that realizing the promise and potential of One Water requires a new kind of change leadership. The water sector is evolving rapidly and is characterized by growing complexity. The leader of tomorrow will need fundamentally different skills than the established management practices prevalent in the water sector today. For water and wastewater utilities specifically, this will require a transformation of how these agencies see themselves in the community, what they do, how they do it, and who their partners are.
This report contributes to the growing body of analysis and documentation of the One Water approach. It focuses on an overlooked dimension: the essential leadership capacities that individuals at water utilities need to guide change toward One Water. The report explores questions such as: what are the capacities—the knowledge, skills, and attitudes—we need to cultivate in order to drive One Water change? How do utility managers successfully navigate through the cultural, political, economic, and human dimensions of One Water management, in addition to the technical components?
To answer these questions, we conducted in-depth interviews with 10 utility executives who are well-known in the water industry as transformative leaders—in this report we call them changemakers. We synthesized their experiences and insights into six leadership capacities that can inform existing water utility staff as well as future professional development efforts throughout all levels of the water sector.
This report is organized in the following manner:
- The One Water Approach. One Water explained—what it is, why it’s needed, and key components.
- Meet 10 One Water Changemakers. Short profiles of 10 utility executives who are transforming their organizations toward One Water.
- Six Essential Capacities for One Water Change Leadership. Descriptions of six capacities that drive One Water leadership, including how leaders use them to produce change, stories of the capacities in action, and advice for other One Water changemakers to cultivate these capacities in themselves.
- Conclusion. Reflections on implications for the water sector and a call to action to accelerate our transformation to One Water through change leadership.
The resulting framework provides important insights for advancing One Water leadership, with a particular focus on utility executives at large and mid-sized utilities. However, what we found applies to other One Water agents of change. Many of the leadership capacities identified can translate to utilities of all sizes and other types of institutions applying a One Water approach. Whether you are an environmental group focused on watershed protection, an engineering company driving more efficient treatment processes, a water reliant business implementing stewardship practices across your supply chain, a regulator considering flexible management approaches, or a community advocate, there is something to learn here and offer back to the sector.
The US Water Alliance believes anyone can be a One Water leader—and in fact, everyone must be a One Water leader in order to secure our nation’s water future. Change leadership is a practice that is grown and exercised. It is a not a position on an organizational chart or a job title. We hope this report supports an acceleration of change leadership in the water sector by encouraging the growth of these capacities in ourselves, one another, and the next generation.
Download full version (PDF): One Water Change Leadership for Utilities: Six Essential Capacities
About the U.S. Water Alliance
uswateralliance.org
The US Water Alliance advances policies and programs that build a sustainable water future for all. We are driving a One Water movement—an approach to water stewardship that is innovative, inclusive, and integrated. As a member-supported national nonprofit organization, the Alliance educates the nation about the true value of water and proactively advances policies and programs that manage water resources to advance a better quality of life for everyone.
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