WestWater Research is pleased to announce the addition of Benjamin Stewart as the new California Regional Director. Ben brings deep expertise in utility financial consulting to the firm, strengthening WestWater’s capacity to serve municipal and utility clients navigating complex water and wastewater challenges.
Ben’s consulting practice spans water and wastewater rate design, cost-of-service analysis, affordability assessment, long-term financial planning, and capital investment analysis. His clients have included municipalities, water and wastewater utilities, state and regional agencies, and independent oversight bodies across California and beyond. He also played a key role in the U.S. Water Alliance’s Economic Benefits of Investing in Water Infrastructure report.
Before joining WestWater, Ben spent over a decade at Stantec, where he rose to Principal and led the firm’s utility financial consulting practice in California. Earlier in his career, he provided economic and engineering services to extraction and heavy industry clients, including mine valuation, reclamation planning, and bond cost estimating.
Ben is an active contributor to the broader water community. He serves as the Demand Elasticity Chapter Lead Author for the latest edition of the AWWA M1 Manual and has presented at numerous AWWA/WEF Utility Management Conferences. He holds master’s degrees in Mineral and Energy Economics from the Colorado School of Mines and Environmental Engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, along with a B.S. in Civil Engineering, also from Nebraska. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in Colorado.
Ben’s hire also coincides with an exciting transition for Oliver Browne, who has served as California Regional Director and helped establish WestWater’s presence in the Bay Area. Oliver is stepping into a new role as Senior Director of Economic Research, where he will lead economic impact analysis, complex econometrics, and market analysis across the firm’s geographies.
“We are thrilled to welcome Ben Stewart as our new California Regional Director,” said Chris Smith, Chief Operating Officer at WestWater Research. “Ben brings over 15 years of experience spanning economic modeling, rate studies, and utility finance. He knows California water very well, and his cross-regional experience will add value well beyond the state. California is a big part of our business, and Ben’s addition reflects our continued investment in that market. Ben’s arrival also marks an exciting transition for Oliver Browne, who has led our California region and helped establish our foothold in the Bay Area. Oliver is stepping into a new role as Senior Director of Economic Research, where he will lead economic impact analysis, complex econometrics, and market analysis across our geographies. It is a great fit for him, and we look forward to seeing him grow this part of our business.”
Ben added, “I am excited to join the talented team at WestWater Research and contribute to the firm’s outstanding work with clients across sectors dealing with complex water-related challenges. I look forward to strengthening WestWater’s service offerings for utility and municipal clients, supporting its existing client base, and expanding my expertise into the upstream water supply and valuation issues that are increasingly important to communities, utilities, and water users.”
We are thrilled to have Ben on board and look forward to the contributions he and Oliver will bring to our clients and the firm.
Benjamin Stewart
Areas of expertise
- Water & Wastewater Rate Studies
- Cost-of-Service Analysis & Rate Design
- Long-Term Financial Planning & Forecasting
- Affordability Analyses
- Water Demand Modeling & Forecasting
- Customer Assistance Program Design
- Capital Planning, Funding and Scenario Analysis
- Project Alternatives Analyses
- Economic Impacts of Capital Investments
- Economic & Financial Modeling (NPV/IRR/DCF)
Education
- M.S. Mineral and Energy Economics, Colorado School of Mines, 2015
- M.S. Environmental Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2011
- B.S. Civil Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2009
Experience
- Principal, Stantec, 2025-2026
- Senior Manager, Stantec, 2022–2024
- Managing Consultant, Stantec, 2019–2022
- Senior Consultant, Stantec, 2017–2018
- Consultant, Hawksley Consulting, 2015–2017
- Project Civil Engineer, Tetra Tech Mining & Minerals, 2011–2015