Seven Infrastructure Insights That Shaped 2025, and What They Signal for 2026

In 2025, infrastructure owners navigated compounding pressures. Climate extremes tested system limits. Regulatory shifts introduced both urgency and uncertainty. Workforce constraints and funding volatility reshaped how projects were planned and delivered. Across sectors, the common thread was the need for accurate data and trusted advisors to support decisions that balance technical rigor with long-term risk, cost, and community outcomes.

Many of Consor’s experts shared insights grounded in the practical realities facing infrastructure owners. Their work examined how risks are assessed, how systems are managed, and how decisions can better account for current and future uncertainties.

The following seven insights capture what mattered most to our client partners in 2025 and point ahead to the challenges and opportunities already shaping 2026.

Utility management through a systems stewardship lens.

Utility decisions often play out across interconnected systems, where operations, policy frameworks, environmental considerations, and financial constraints intersect at the community and watershed scale. A systems stewardship lens helps leaders account for how those interactions shape long-term performance and risk.

Looking ahead, utilities will continue operating in an environment defined by these overlapping pressures. A systems stewardship approach offers a way to navigate this complexity.

Pete Mulvaney co-authored this article on page 41 of Central States Water that outlines a forward-looking, resilient utility management approach built around four key pillars.

“Future-ready utilities must embed flexibility into their capital planning, anticipating a future where population patterns, water demands, environmental conditions, and technological possibilities will continue to evolve at a pace that legacy models cannot match.”

– Pete Mulvaney, Technical Principal, Utility Management Consulting

PFAS compliance in an uncertain regulatory landscape.

Changes in the regulatory landscape for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in 2025 prompted water providers to revisit their compliance strategies. The EPA announced it would retain the enforceable maximum contaminant levels for PFOA and PFOS while reconsidering standards for additional PFAS. It also extended the compliance deadline to 2031 and signaled future PFAS regulation rulemaking.

As planning continues in a shifting landscape, utilities will need to balance near-term actions with approaches that can adapt as requirements evolve.

Dr. Jasmina Markovski explores these dynamics in her PFAS Policy article, as well as in Part One and Two of a series published by Water Conditioning & Purification International examining POU and POE filter options, including where decentralized approaches can add value and where practical barriers still limit compliance use.

“Although the PFAS compliance timeline has been extended, public water systems should not delay mitigation efforts—immediate action is necessary to remain on track with the regulations.”

– Jasmina Markovski, PhD, PE, Technical Principal, Water Treatment

Mitigating risk through climate adaptation.

Floods, droughts, heatwaves, and severe storms continue to test infrastructure systems, exposing the limits of decisions grounded in historical conditions and fixed assumptions.

The pace and severity of climate events are expected to continue accelerating. Risk assessments can inform investment and operational strategies in the face of uncertainty.

Mike McMahon outlines a seven-step framework for climate adaptation in this white paper, offering a practical structure for embedding resilience into planning and operations.

“Traditional engineering frameworks anchored in past weather patterns may not be indicative of future conditions… What happens when infrastructure systems are pushed beyond their design limits?”

– Mike McMahon, Technical Practice Manager, Resiliency

Geospatial thinking for data-informed decision making.

As infrastructure systems grow more complex, understanding how assets interact across networks has become increasingly important. Geospatial tools support this work by connecting data across locations and systems, helping decision-makers evaluate conditions and test scenarios at scale.

AI and machine learning will continue to accelerate this shift by revealing patterns and relationships within expanding data streams. As those streams grow faster and more comprehensive, models can adjust alongside them, giving infrastructure owners clearer, near-real-time insight that strengthens emergency response and infrastructure resilience.

Robb Kirkman explores this paradigm shift in this article, showing how GIS tools have moved from visualization to measurable value driver across the project lifecycle. The ROI of GIS now often exceeds 15:1 by reducing rework, shortening schedules, and lowering operational costs.

“GIS used to answer ‘where.’ Now it helps answer ‘what if?’… GIS has become a common language for infrastructure owners and consultants, codified by the organizational value of digital data.”

– Robb Kirkman, Digital Solutions Technical Principal

Staff augmentation as an embedded partnership.

Workforce constraints remain a defining challenge for infrastructure owners, as project demands outpace internal capacity and available talent. Staff augmentation has become a critical strategy to scale quickly and access specialized expertise to maintain momentum on capital programs.

Talent shortages and funding volatility in the infrastructure industry will continue to shape how agencies staff and manage capital programs. Embedded partnerships provide a way to align capacity with program needs while maintaining agency ownership and continuity.

Mike Flat, Jose Benitez, and Michael Mohler examine the potential of staff augmentation in this article, using examples to show how embedded roles support sustained infrastructure delivery.

“The real potential of staff augmentation lies in the opportunity for embedded partnerships—creating a shared stewardship philosophy that strengthens agency teams and delivers greater value to communities.”

– Mike Flat, PE, Vice President, Business Development

Environmental assessment beyond the project footprint.

Environmental assessments traditionally focus on what is directly observable within a project footprint, failing to consider indirect and cumulative impacts to an ecosystem. Integrated Impact Assessment (IIA) expands the scope of environmental review, examining how ecosystems function as connected systems.

In 2026, agencies across the United States and Canada will continue navigating environmental policy and permitting frameworks that are in flux. This regulatory evolution is likely to keep environmental assessment central to decisions around compliance, timing, and design.

Heather Melcher details the IIA framework in this article, outlining less-visible potential effects of development and how they can be identified and addressed.

“Development of essential public infrastructure, such as roads, neighborhoods, and utilities, meets real community needs, yet they inevitably reshape the land and water systems around them. The challenge is not avoiding change but managing it in ways that maintain or enhance ecosystem resilience.”

– Heather Melcher, Technical Practice Manager, Ontario Planning and Permitting

Together, these insights reflect how infrastructure challenges continue to evolve across regulatory, environmental, technical, and delivery dimensions. As 2026 unfolds, Consor’s experts will continue tracking these shifts, sharing practical perspectives rooted in real projects and real constraints to help client partners navigate what’s ahead.