What happens when a trillion-dollar infrastructure gap collides with rising standards, shrinking federal support, and a workforce exodus? We invited Jim Good, CEO of Parkview Advisors and veteran of both investor-owned utilities and global operators, to unpack how private water companies are shaping reliability, affordability, and innovation across the United States. From Capitol Hill to plant operations, Jim’s career offers a rare 360-degree view of how money, regulation, and field reality interact to keep water safe and wastewater compliant.
We dig into the mechanics of private capital: why the largest investor-owned utilities consistently invest billions each year, how that scale translates into fewer failures and faster upgrades, and where rate design and customer assistance help soften inevitable increases. Jim walks through the regulatory “dance” with state commissions—why pilots must prove prudence, how staged rollouts earn trust, and which technologies actually curb operating costs without compromising safety. We also tackle the silver tsunami head-on, exploring certification portability, veteran pathways, and how contract operators bridge local talent gaps by moving expertise where it’s needed most.
Water quality sits at the heart of the conversation. From MTBE to today’s PFAS, private utilities often deploy treatment early and pursue polluters to recover capital, blending public health protection with accountability. We close with a candid look at consolidation: the benefits of rolling fragile small systems into well-capitalized networks, the risks of over-concentration, and three forecasts for the next two decades—including a shift toward private ownership of wastewater assets and a potential doubling of investor-owned service footprint.
If you care about clean, reliable, and affordable water—and how we’ll pay for it—this is a must-listen. Subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a review with your take: should private capital play a bigger role in your community’s water future?
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