Craig H. Palmer, chief executive officer of Erie Water Works, oversees the water provided to 64,000 homes and businesses in Erie. He earned an M.B.A. from Behrend in 2007.
Only a fraction of the water that flows from the faucets of Erie Water Works customers is consumed. The rest is used for bathing, cleaning dishes, washing clothes, flushing toilets, watering flowers, cooking, farming, and other purposes. Yet, every single drop, no matter its use, must be safe to drink.
“Water quality is job number one,” said Craig H. Palmer, chief executive officer of Erie Water Works. “It all has to be potable even if it’s being used to wash a car.”
His team pumps that pristine water through 775 miles of underground pipes to more than 64,000 homes and businesses.
“I think a lot of people take for granted what is required to get water from Lake Erie into your home or business,” Palmer said.
He’s fine with that. He doesn’t want the 220,000 consumers to worry about their water. That’s his job and the work of Erie Water Works’ 106 employees, who keep the water flowing, even if that means repairing a water main break at 2:30 a.m. in freezing temperatures.
“We have an average of 250 water main breaks a year, and they almost never happen between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.,” he quipped.
Palmer graduated from Penn State in 1997 with a degree in Civil Engineering and began working for a water/wastewater engineering firm. After a few years, wanting to position himself to advance in the company, he decided to learn more about the business side of the firm. He earned a master of business administration degree from Penn State Behrend in 2007.
“Behrend was an easy choice because it has such a robust and respected business program,” he said. “And the caliber of individuals in my classes was impressive. I almost felt out of place.”
That didn’t last long, as he was soon thrust into group projects.
“I think every single course had a group project, and that was valuable because that’s what managers do,” Palmer said. “It’s like overseeing a big group project.”
He also learned a lot about leadership, marketing, budgeting, human relations, and technical writing.
“I use most of what I learned at Behrend every day,” he said.
Palmer has been at Erie Water Works since 2006. He was senior manager of engineering services before becoming CEO in 2024.
“It’s an awesome responsibility to provide clean and safe drinking water to nearly a quarter of a million customers,” he said. “We never lose sight of the gravity of our work.”
Among Erie Water Works’ biggest challenges: emerging contaminants and aging infrastructure.
“Water treatment has become much more complex with the discovery of microplastics, PFAs, and other potentially harmful contaminates,” Palmer said. “We have to stay on top of the science so we can be as proactive as possible.”
To make infrastructure improvements, his team stays on top of potential funding opportunities. Erie Water Works was one of the first public utilities to receive federal funding to replace lead “gooseneck” pipes in the water system.
“We are replacing our goosenecks 400 percent faster than we would have without the funding,” he said. “We are on track to eradicate all lead by the end of 2027, which has made Erie a model for other cities that are far behind in the process.”
Beyond the day-to-day operation of Erie Water Works, Palmer is also focused on the future. With access to fresh water, an affordable cost of living, and a low chance of natural disasters, Erie is expected to benefit from climate migration.
“We need to be poised for economic development,” Palmer said. “Erie is going to become a destination city in the future, and we plan to be ready to meet the community’s needs.”
Fast Fact: Erie Water Works
- The cost of water for Erie Water Works customers is less than one-seventh of a cent per gallon. A bottle of water at a convenience store typically costs more than 2,500 times that.
Vital Statistics: Craig H. Palmer
- Title: CEO, Erie Water Works
- Degrees: Civil Engineering, Penn State University, 1997; M.B.A., Penn State Behrend, 2007
- Family: Wife, Brandy; children, Abbey, Noah, and Aiden. Abbey is a 2024 Behrend Project and Supply Chain Management graduate. Noah is a sophomore Management Information Systems major at Behrend. Aiden is in high school.