Water splash among spring grass with sunlight in background.

One Water

Item: One Water
Author: Kirk Westphal

CDM Smith has been a leader in One Water for more than two decades, developing integrated water resources strategies and advancing projects that enhance our communities and protect the natural world.

Practice Lead

Kirk Westphal, PE

How we support your One Water goals

Woman presenting architectural plans on a screen to a group in a brick-walled conference room.

Circular diagram titled 'Water Integration Tool' with icons on a water ripple background.

Colorful map of James River hydraulic model with topographic lines, arrows, and water flow paths.

We face significant water resources challenges: limited fresh water sources, droughts, flooding and more. With a One Water approach, communities benefit from multi-benefit, multi-purpose solutions that lead to more sustainable and resilient water supplies, improved water quality, more efficient utility systems, healthier ecosystems and economic vitality.

Transparents assessments and long-term solutions

To date, CDM Smith has prepared over 50 One Water plans resulting in $20 billion of publicly supported infrastructure improvements.

The Water Integration Tool (WIT)

Using a systems thinking approach, our experts created and deploy the WIT to rapidly assess future needs under uncertainty and evaluate integrated alternatives across the water, wastewater and stormwater sectors.