Too Good to Be True

Scottsdale and Privatization in the 1980s

By: Paul Redvers Brown

Narrated by: Paul R. Brown

This is the personal story of a very public project.

In 1984, a respected Boston environmental engineering firm took on the industry’s biggest engineer-constructors to win the first municipal water treatment plant privatization project in the country. The city of Scottsdale, Arizona, had embarked on the "untested" financing approach to take advantage of tax incentives that arrived with the presidency of Ronald Reagan.

Because it was the first of its kind and the water industry saw many more to come, this small project captured nationwide attention. As the city raced to build the treatment facilities needed to take long-awaited water supply from the Colorado River, a team of aggressive long shots took on the world of infrastructure development and finance.

It’s a roller-coaster ride from big achievements to colossal blunders, seen through the eyes of an ambitious MBA, in way over his head. Ultimately, it's a cautionary tale for young professionals that there’s a lot to be gained by taking risks and even more to be learned from accepting defeat.

©2020 Paul Redvers Brown (P)2020 Paul Redvers Brown

The Business of Modern Water Infrastructure

Too Good To Be True provides a fascinating look into the details of US water infrastructure and the inside workings of one of the most highly successful engineering firms in this multi $B industry. It brings a very complex topic down to an understandable and entertaining level with anecdotes about the people and circumstances. It is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand what became of privatization and who worries about the future of our water infrastructure during this era of climate change.