Compliance secured.
Continuity ensured.
Confidence delivered.
Small utilities are being asked to meet bigger expectations like AWIA, state ERPs, cyber readiness, and extreme weather planning without adding staff or stretching budgets further. Gradient Planning helps you build practical readiness with board-ready deliverables and a clear path to implementation.
Small teams. Big responsibilities.
When you’re running a small water or wastewater utility, staff wear multiple hats and compliance deadlines compete with day-to-day operations. In that environment, the risk isn’t just an incident—it’s the hidden cost of overtime, last-minute scrambles, and missed deadlines that can put compliance standing and funding eligibility at risk.
Common Tension Points
Limited budgets and limited staff capacity
Compliance deadlines (AWIA, state ERPs) competing with daily operations
Cyber expectations without a practical baseline
Reliance on outside funding (SRF, state capacity grants)
Major consequences if service is disrupted—even briefly
Scalable support designed for smaller systems
Gradient Planning offers flexible, right-sized support for utilities serving under 10,000 people. We deliver focused, high-value work that reduces burden on staff—then stay available to help you keep plans current, train teams, and build repeatable readiness practices.
Compliance Essentials
Targeted support to close gaps and meet expectations without a long, expensive planning effort. Ideal for ERP updates/refreshes, compliance documentation, and practical next steps leadership can act on.
Risk and Resilience Assessments and Planning
Risk and resilience work that leads to decisions focused on your highest-consequence vulnerabilities (operations, critical facilities, cyber, and service continuity), with clear roles, procedures, and priorities.
Practical Readiness Support
“Light-lift” deliverables that create momentum fast—one-day resilience punch-lists, tabletop exercise facilitation, staff-ready procedures, and implementation support that fits real staffing constraints.
What you'll receive
Compliance-Ready Action Plan
A tailored action plan aligned to your system size, state requirements, and available capacity structured to support AWIA/state ERP expectations and realistic completion.
Resilience Roadmap
Prioritized next steps organized by urgency, risk reduction, and cost-efficiency so you can sequence improvements without overwhelming staff.
Board-Ready Summary Package
A concise, leadership-friendly summary (with a punch list and decision-ready recommendations) that supports funding conversations, board communication, and clear accountability.
“Exceptional Partner”
“The City of Framingham’s Water & Wastewater Department has been working with Gradient Planning each year since 2017 on all aspects of risk management. Gradient Planning has been an exceptional partner to Framingham, offering practical solutions-focused planning that consistently strengthens our overall preparedness. Their deep subject-matter expertise and willingness to respond to our evolving needs, has allowed Framingham to progressively work toward our preparedness goals and continue to maintain compliance along the way.”
Kate Lancraft, P.E., C.S.P.
Founder and Managing Director
Gradient Planning, LLC
“Gradient Planning has exceeded our expectations in every aspect of emergency preparedness consultancy. Kate Lancraft provides a comprehensive approach, attention to detail, and tailored programs that ensure our organization is empowered to handle any scenario with confidence. From risk assessments to customized training sessions, Kate has been a partner to our team. With unparalleled expertise and dedication to our safety and resilience, it is clear that Gradient Planning is committed to our continual improvement. Without hesitation, I highly recommend Gradient Planning to any organization serious about safeguarding its future.”
25+
years supporting critical infrastructure resilience
Deep, sustained experience helping water and wastewater utilities manage risk, maintain continuity, and meet evolving regulatory expectations.
100%
regulatory acceptance of risk assessments and ERPs
All assessments and emergency response plans accepted by EPA and state regulators with zero corrective follow-up required.
50+
utilities served across small, mid-size, and large systems
Trusted by utilities in New England and beyond to deliver practical, solutions-focused planning tailored to real operational conditions.
Meet supplier diversity goals while gaining specialized resilience and emergency preparedness support.
Common questions from small utility personnel
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t depends on your system type and size. Certain AWIA risk and resilience requirements apply to community water systems serving 3,300 or more people, and many states also have separate emergency response plan (ERP) expectations that can apply to smaller systems as well. Even when a specific federal requirement doesn’t apply, most utilities still benefit from having a practical ERP and continuity procedures because regulators, boards, and customers expect a credible plan for power loss, staffing shortages, cyber incidents, and extreme weather. Gradient Planning helps you confirm what applies, close gaps efficiently, and produce documentation that is right-sized for your utility.
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Start with a focused readiness baseline and a prioritized action plan. For small utilities, the highest ROI usually comes from:
Clarifying roles, decision points, and call-down procedures
Confirming critical dependencies (power, chemicals, IT/SCADA access, key vendors)
Identifying the top 5–10 vulnerabilities that could disrupt service
Producing a short board-ready roadmap that sequences improvements by urgency and cost
This approach gives you immediate clarity, supports compliance expectations, and creates momentum without committing to a large, long-term project.
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Often, yes, especially if it hasn’t been updated in the last 1–2 years or if anything major has changed (staffing, suppliers, treatment process, SCADA/IT, source water, interconnections, or mutual aid). Many ERPs exist “on paper” but don’t reflect how the utility would actually operate during an incident. An update doesn’t have to be a heavy lift: we can refresh your plan to align with current requirements and best practices, tighten roles and procedures, and provide a short, prioritized improvement list so you can strengthen readiness without overwhelming staff.
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Yes, we offer affordable retainer packages to keep your systems and plans up to date.
Be ready before it happens
Every moment counts during an emergency — plan ahead with a partner who's been there.