The NC Chamber Foundation’s Water Infrastructure Competitiveness Analysis continues to drive dialogue and discussion among North Carolina business leaders, utilities, engineers, rural water systems, and policymakers. Together, these stakeholders are reinforcing the report’s central conclusion: water and wastewater infrastructure are foundational to the state’s economic competitiveness, workforce growth, and long-term site readiness.

In a recent white paper, utility leader Kenneth Waldroup, P.E., further affirmed the strong connection between the NC Chamber Foundation’s analysis and the priorities utilities are seeing on the ground. Waldroup highlights shared focus areas including reliable water systems, sustained long-term investment, workforce capacity, and voluntary regional collaboration. As Waldroup notes in response to the Foundation’s analysis:

“This is thoughtful, well-researched work that rightly elevates water and wastewater infrastructure into the economic development conversation where it belongs. I’m supportive of both the direction of the analysis and its conclusions, and hopeful it helps drive continued coordination and implementation across the state.”

— Kenneth Waldroup, P.E.
Executive Director, Cape Fear Public Utility Authority

The Foundation’s first-of-its-kind research approaches this vital infrastructure with a statewide competitiveness lens, examining how water and wastewater systems support economic growth, workforce expansion, and site readiness across North Carolina. The analysis focuses on policy frameworks, planning structures, and long-term investment needs, while drawing on the deep operational expertise of local utilities and regional systems. Ongoing engagement with utilities, rural water associations, engineers, and business leaders continues to strengthen this shared understanding and inform practical next steps for aligning infrastructure planning with North Carolina’s growth.

Across North Carolina, stakeholders are now moving from conversation to coordination. As Waldroup’s white paper highlights, a broad array of stakeholders are aligning around the NC Chamber report’s key priorities: modernizing water data and planning tools, advancing voluntary and locally-driven regional approaches, integrating infrastructure planning with economic development and site readiness, and ensuring workforce capacity and funding sustainability keep pace with growth. Together, these efforts reflect a growing consensus that collaboration across business, utilities, and policymakers is essential to keeping water infrastructure a competitive advantage rather than a constraint on North Carolina’s long-term success.