When a municipal utility in Massachusetts needed to navigate a complex web of state and federal regulatory requirements to advance a critical new drinking water source for its growing community, Shepherd Strategies was brought in to assess the landscape and help chart a path forward. The project (more than 20 years in the making) sat at the intersection of Massachusetts DEP permitting, Article 97 land protections, National Park Service requirements, and the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund.
Shepherd assessed the full regulatory picture, identified the applicable legal frameworks, and prepared stakeholder-ready materials to support the client through the review process. The result was a renewed state Water Management Act Permit — a tangible milestone that allows the utility to move forward with developing a new water source projected to supply hundreds of thousands of gallons per day to residents in the region.
