US water and wastewater utilities navigated a year marked by disruption and shifting federal policies. Stakeholders navigated a maze of permitting reforms, evolving EPA guidance on PFAS and new interpretations of the Clean Water Act after Sackett v. EPA. For operators, the rulebook kept changing, while costs and compliance risks continued to rise. … With all that as backdrop, let’s look back on 2025. We’ll dig into the shifting permitting and WRDA/IIJA landscape, the ongoing tug-of-war over PFAS and WOTUS, Colorado River uncertainty, the emerging water-AI connection and the growing momentum behind collaborative delivery.