Lakewood Economic Impact Study

Overview

The city of Lakewood, initially established as a Dupont factory town, had water and sewer systems which didn’t meet standard building codes, resulting in invasive infrastructure. Imagine sewers running directly beneath living rooms and bedrooms. In some homes, manholes were located inside residents' living spaces—access points that required technicians to enter private homes to perform routine maintenance that elsewhere would be conducted from street level. As part of a broader citywide initiative to reduce overflows, improve efficiency, and move infrastructure outside of homes, the project replaced or upgraded nearly all water and sewer services in Lakewood and installed a modern stormwater system to enhance flood resilience.

Wilmot’s Role

Wilmot was engaged to assess the full scope of community benefits generated by Metro Water’s investment, with a focus on social, environmental, and economic outcomes. Our economic impact study quantified impressive contributions to the region's Gross Regional Product and documented significant job creation throughout the design and construction phases. Beyond these economic gains, the project delivered critical environmental and safety improvements:

  • Enhanced flood resilience through expanded stormwater capacity

  • Operational efficiencies via reduced leakage and water treatment demands

  • Strengthened public safety through modernized fire flow infrastructure

These improvements demonstrate how strategic water infrastructure investments simultaneously address immediate utility needs while generating lasting value for residents and the broader community.

Results

  • $27.1M in economic output

  • $1.36M in property value increases

  • 159 jobs supported

Client

Metro Water Services

Location

Nashville, TN

Markets

Municipal

Water/Wastewater

Services

Cost-Benefit Analysis

Economic Impact Analysis

What is Wilmot’s Triple Bottom Line analysis?

A full-cost accounting of environmental, social, and economic impacts, providing a dollar value cost or benefit for each aspect your project is considering.