A Framework for Permitting Innovation in the Wastewater Sector

This report, A Framework for Permitting Innovation in the Wastewater Sector, marks the culmination of over a decade of research and engagement on innovation in the water sector. It also marks the beginning of an effort to move the concepts we have developed into practice in this sector, and to apply them in other contexts.

In some ways, this report can be summarized in two main results: First, despite reports about permitting as a barrier to innovation, there is little desire among utility managers for relief from stringent permit terms. Rather, the permitting process itself is identified as the primary challenge to initiating innovative projects in a timely manner. Second, there is a clear path forward to improving this process. The clear, research-based framework presented in this report highlights the ingredients for a recipe that has been used with success in many places, and a successful recipe, which we believe can be replicated across the nation.

On its face, the framework for permitting innovation may seem simple. Simple, but not easy. Achieving permitting success will require hard work and a commitment of time and energy on the part of all involved. Perhaps initially more difficult, it will require an openness to seeing things differently, and acting accordingly. Instead of a stance of opposition, building positive relationships, with clear boundaries and attention to appropriate roles, can unlock the secret hiding in plain sight: everyone working in the wastewater sector shares the same core interests – achieving environmental protections as efficiently as possible, while unlocking additional benefits that may be difficult to achieve through standard methods. By building more effective regulatory relationships that support a more effective permitting process, we can accelerate together towards a future that embraces innovation for a more sustainable nation.

Additional Authors: David Smith, Felicia Marcus, Justin Mattingly, Collin Mummert

Funding for this project was provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under Contract 68HERH19D0033. Additional funding was provided by National Science Foundation Grant 28139880-50542-C to the ReNUWIt Engineering Research Center. We gratefully acknowledge the Johnson Foundation for their support, including generously hosting the workshop at Wingspread in Racine, WI.