One Water Econ

What One Water Econ does

One Water Econ is a woman-owned economic and policy consulting firm headquartered in Colorado (Loveland/Fort Collins area) that serves U.S. water utilities, municipal and state governments, federal agencies, and national water-sector nonprofits. The firm was founded by Janet Clements, who serves as CEO/Owner, and operates with a distributed team of five named professionals spanning senior economists, directors, and an associate, with staff located in Colorado, California, Georgia, and elsewhere. Its stated mission is to bridge data, policy, and strategy to address complex water-sector challenges, with five publicly listed focus areas: Ecosystem Services & Natural Assets, Water Supply Planning, Markets & Incentives, Water Affordability & Customer Assistance, and Agricultural Water Management.

The firm's core offering is a portfolio of eight professional services — benefit-cost & triple bottom line analysis, economic impact analysis, multicriteria decision-making, policy & program design, ecosystem service valuation, socioeconomic & affordability analyses, survey design & implementation, and stakeholder engagement — built on economic modeling, statistical analysis, GIS, and policy expertise rather than a proprietary software platform. The firm has nonetheless produced two notable branded assets: the GSI Impact Hub, co-developed with The Nature Conservancy and the Green Infrastructure Leadership Exchange to help stormwater planners quantify green infrastructure co-benefits, and a Source Water Protection ROI Excel framework developed for the Water Research Foundation addressing PFAS, nutrients, and wildfire-related risks.

Commercially, One Water Econ operates as a B2B professional services firm generating project-based consulting revenue through direct engagements, RFP processes, and subconsultant relationships with larger firms such as Stantec. Named clients include Cape Fear Public Utility Authority, Denver Water, New York City DEP (via Stantec), Water Research Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, Monterey County Water Resources Agency, and the AWWA consortium. The firm maintains a website, LinkedIn presence, and active careers page, and its team contributes to industry publications and advisory boards (including the EPA Environmental Finance Advisory Board). Revenue, funding, and detailed pricing are not publicly disclosed.

Name

One Water Econ

Legal name

One Water Econ

Website

https://onewaterecon.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

One Water Econ is a woman-owned Colorado-based consulting firm delivering economic and policy analysis for U.S. water utilities, government agencies, and nonprofits, spanning affordability, supply planning, agricultural water management, and ecosystem service valuation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Sector Economic Consulting

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Water, Wastewater & Hydraulics Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Resources, WASH & Integrated Water Management (BPADALAH), Water-Smart Irrigation & Water Stewardship (Drip/Micro, Scheduling, Water Harvesting) (AFAGAMAD)

Keywords

• Water economics consulting
• Water policy analysis
• Ecosystem service valuation
• Water affordability analysis
• Water infrastructure economics

Headquarters

HQ city

Loveland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Professional consulting services provided to water utilities, government agencies, and municipalities. Engagements include economic analysis, policy development, program design, and strategic planning for water resource management issues. Revenue is generated through project-based consulting contracts, often with government and institutional clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

One Water Econ is a woman-owned consulting firm delivering economic and policy analysis for water sector clients. The firm provides benefit-cost analysis, triple bottom line analysis, economic impact assessments, ecosystem service valuation, multi-criteria decision-making, policy and program design, socioeconomic and affordability analyses, and stakeholder engagement services. It also develops standalone analytical tools such as the GSI Impact Hub and Source Water Protection decision-making tools for utilities and agencies.

Product overview

One Water Econ is a woman-owned consulting firm providing strategic planning and economic services to address water resource management challenges. Rather than a unified software platform, the company offers a portfolio of consulting service offerings including Benefit Cost & Triple Bottom Line Analysis, Economic Impact Analysis, Multicriteria Decision-Making, Policy & Program Design, Ecosystem Service Valuation, Socioeconomic & Affordability Analyses, Survey Design & Implementation, and Stakeholder Engagement. Additionally, the company has developed specialized tools and resources such as the GSI Impact Hub (a collaborative resource with The Nature Conservancy) and Source Water Protection decision-making tools for the Water Research Foundation. These services and tools collectively address water supply planning, demand management, affordability, reuse, natural infrastructure, funding and financing, and stormwater management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Benefit Cost & Triple Bottom Line Analysis Quantifies the full range of impacts associated with water-related projects and programs, including nature-based solutions, conservation programs, and supply systems. Uses triple bottom line frameworks incorporating social and environmental co-benefits such as habitat, community resilience, and public health.
• Economic Impact Analysis Evaluates how projects, policies, and programs shape economic activity across sectors and regions, tracing ripple effects on jobs, income, and output to help clients quantify tradeoffs and guide decision-making.
• Multicriteria Decision-Making Brings clarity and structure to complex water sector decisions involving competing priorities such as cost, environmental outcomes, equity, and performance by integrating quantitative and qualitative inputs.
• Policy & Program Design Turns data-driven insights into actionable policy and program design, including development of stormwater and groundwater trading markets, evaluation of affordability programs, and design of incentive programs for green infrastructure and onsite reuse.
• Ecosystem Service Valuation Applies rigorous market and non-market valuation methods to quantify ecosystem services, making contributions visible and actionable for planners, policymakers, and utilities.
• Socioeconomic & Affordability Analyses Evaluates how costs, benefits, and utility policies affect different households, neighborhoods, and demographic groups to help agencies assess rate structures, identify vulnerable populations, and design programs balancing financial sustainability with community well-being.
• Survey Design & Implementation Designs and implements custom surveys to support economic analysis, policy development, and program evaluation, including customer behavior, affordability, and willingness to pay assessments.
• Stakeholder Engagement Engages stakeholders through interviews, workshops, and continuous feedback to ground analysis in operational realities and community priorities, building trust and fostering shared ownership of solutions.
• GSI Impact Hub A centralized resource developed in partnership with The Nature Conservancy and the Green Infrastructure Leadership Exchange that helps stormwater planners and decision-makers understand the benefits of green stormwater infrastructure in local contexts. Includes five resource guides and an interactive benefits calculator.
• Source Water Protection Decision-Making Tools An economic framework and user-friendly Excel tool with templates developed for Water Research Foundation to help utilities quantify and monetize the full range of benefits and costs associated with source water protection strategies, addressing PFAS, nutrients, and wildfire-related risks.

Quantifiable outcome

• CFPUA's annual spending supported over 1,000 jobs and generated $158 million in economic output each year; every dollar spent generated $8.50 in regional economic growth
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• StanteccoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerOne Water Econ worked as a subconsultant to Stantec on the New York City DEP project analyzing onsite and district scale water reuse incentives. This partnership demonstrates the firm's role as a specialized subconsultant to larger engineering and consulting firms on water sector projects.
• The Nature ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne Water Econ partnered with The Nature Conservancy and Green Infrastructure Leadership Exchange to create the GSI Impact Hub—a centralized resource that helps stormwater planners understand the co-benefits of Green Stormwater Infrastructure. The Hub includes resource guides and an interactive benefits calculator.
• Green Infrastructure Leadership ExchangecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to develop the GSI Impact Hub, providing tools for stormwater planners and decision-makers to quantify the costs and co-benefits of green stormwater infrastructure projects.
• Raftelis Financial ConsultantsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne Water Econ partnered with Raftelis Financial Consultants to help Cape Fear Public Utility Authority demonstrate the economic impact of its water and wastewater infrastructure investments.
• Water Research FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne Water Econ completed a Water Research Foundation project developing tools and guidelines for utilities to quantify and monetize the return on investment of source water protection measures, including an economic framework and Excel-based tool.
• WaterNow AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with WaterNow Alliance to develop a roadmap for designing and financing an effective landscape transformation incentive program tailored to L.A. County, helping catalyze collaboration between Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and Los Angeles County Department of Public Works.
• American Water Works AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne Water Econ collaborated with AWWA and four other national water sector organizations (AMWA, NACWA, NAWC, WEF) to assess national water affordability challenges and evaluate pathways for a federal low-income customer assistance program.
• Monterey County Water Resources AgencycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEngaged by MCWRA to provide updated economic analysis of the benefits of water infrastructure investments in Salinas Valley over a 51-year period, including Nacimiento and San Antonio Reservoirs and related projects.
• Denver WatercoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerOne Water Econ partnered with Denver Water to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of its conservation programs, analyzing 30 years of data (1994-2024) to quantify water use reductions and conservation program impacts.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Raftelis Financial Consultants: Specialized water and wastewater utility financial and rate consulting firm that directly partners with One Water Econ on engagements such as the Cape Fear PUA economic impact study. Most comparable peer given its focus on water utility economics, rate studies, and affordability.
• Carollo Engineers: Large U.S. consulting firm focused exclusively on water and wastewater utilities, providing planning, financial, and engineering services. Comparable due to its deep specialization in municipal water economics and rate/affordability work.
• Brown and Caldwell: Environmental engineering and consulting firm dedicated to water and wastewater utilities, offering rate studies, affordability, and integrated planning services. Directly comparable on utility economics and policy advisory.
• Hazen and Sawyer: Water-focused environmental engineering firm providing planning, financial, and regulatory services to utilities. Comparable as a competitor for water utility rate, affordability, and integrated planning engagements.
• Cadmus Group: Consulting firm with established water, energy, and environmental economics practices that performs affordability, rate, and program evaluation work for utilities and government agencies — closely matching One Water Econ's analytical offering.

Broad incumbents

• Stantec: Global engineering, consulting, and project management firm with a large water practice. Engages One Water Econ as a subconsultant on NYC DEP affordability and reuse work, making it a comparable channel competitor and active partner.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with a sizable water practice covering economics, planning, and engineering for utilities and municipalities. Comparable on the integrated water economics and policy side of large utility procurements.
• Tetra Tech: International consulting and engineering firm with a strong water resources, utilities, and environmental economics practice. Competes for large integrated water and environmental advisory contracts where One Water Econ also bids.
• Black & Veatch: Global engineering and consulting firm with a dedicated water utility practice covering planning, economics, and rate design. Comparable as a broader incumbent competing for large utility economics and planning engagements.

Emerging players

• Environmental Resources Management (ERM): Global environmental consulting firm with growing water and ecosystem services economics capabilities, including ecosystem service valuation and nature-based solutions advisory — overlapping with One Water Econ's environmental economics work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/one-water-econ

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about One Water Econ