Colorado State University Water Expert Publishes Book to Help Private Industry Tackle Public Projects

Note to Reporters: Photos of Neil Grigg and the book cover are available with the news release at http://www.news.colostate.edu.

Neil Grigg has written a dozen books in his 30 years at Colorado State University, but his most recent is the first directed at industry’s growing role in public water infrastructure projects.

“Water Finance: Public Responsibilities and Private Opportunities,” published by Wiley, focuses on creating public/private partnerships within the water industry.

“We’ve got so many unmet infrastructure needs and water needs in the country,” Grigg said. “It’s hard to convince people to invest in these, and the government’s having a hard time all the time. The action is going to shift to the private sector.”

As an example, he pointed to the Colorado Department of Transportation, which is seeking private companies to improve congestion along the I-70 corridor.

“The government doesn’t have enough money to expand the highway, but if a private sector company can offer some way to solve the problem without raising tax money, you’ve got a win-win deal,” he said.

Closer to home in Fort Collins, industry, education and government officials have formed the Colorado Water Innovation Cluster to share information and collaborate on water-related projects. The cluster highlights the region’s water capabilities and addresses workforce gaps. The collaboration helps to identify new market opportunities, he said.

“There are a lot of opportunities for private companies to develop products and services for the water industry,” Grigg said. “The water industry is very diluted. It’s got a lot of small parts.”

Grigg is a civil engineering professor and renowned water resources engineering consultant who has been at Colorado State since 1967. He is an expert in Colorado’s water history, drought management, government water resources planning, Western water management issues and water system infrastructure engineering.

Among his other books is "Colorado’s Water: Science and Management, History and Politics," a book that presents long-range views about Colorado’s water issues, including drought. He has authored or co-authored about 200 publications and several other books about water resources engineering and infrastructure.

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