What Do 2025 Capital Improvement Plans Reveal About Water Utility Spending?
Description
Bluefield Senior Analyst Charlie Suse joins host Reese Tisdale to unpack Bluefield’s latest analysis of municipal utility capital improvement plans (CIPs) across the U.S. and Canada. Covering 777 utilities across all 50 U.S. states and 8 Canadian provinces, the study captures over US$400 billion in planned investment through 2034.
With five years of data (2021–2025) and more than 40,000 projects segmented across stormwater, wastewater, and drinking water, these plans are more than just documents—they’re roadmaps for billions in spending, revealing priorities, funding expectations, and regulatory pressures that shape the water sector.
Key questions addressed in this episode:
- Why did Bluefield undertake this capital improvement plan analysis?
- How did Bluefield approach the methodology and data gathering?
- What does the spending outlook look like through 2034?
- Which segments and utilities stand out as the biggest opportunities?
- What are the broader takeaways for utilities, vendors, and investors looking ahead?
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