Stormwater Consolidation Rises as Rain and Rules Tighten

MKB and Western Green join forces as contractors seek fewer vendors and stronger stormwater compliance amid heavier rain and stricter oversight

19 Jan 2026

Stormwater management, long treated as a routine part of construction, is becoming a growing source of risk as heavier rainfall and tighter regulation raise the cost of failure for builders across the US.

The latest sign of change is the strategic combination of MKB and Western Green, which the companies say is intended to create a larger and more integrated provider of stormwater and erosion control services. The deal comes as contractors face rising compliance costs and greater exposure to delays, fines and clean-up work linked to runoff and sediment breaches.

According to enforcement data from the Environmental Protection Agency, stormwater violations remain among the most frequent environmental penalties issued to construction firms. Industry risk reports show that enforcement has become more consistent, even as weather patterns grow more volatile.

More frequent extreme rainfall events, tracked by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other agencies, have increased the chance that controls fail during active projects. When that happens, builders can face permit violations, stop-work orders and costly remediation. As a result, purchasing decisions are shifting away from individual products towards broader systems backed by reliable field support.

The MKB and Western Green combination reflects this change. By linking stormwater management systems with engineered erosion and sediment controls, the group aims to position itself as a single supplier across multiple regions. Western Green’s national manufacturing footprint adds scale at a time when supply delays can disrupt tightly sequenced projects.

Align Capital Partners, which backs MKB, said the transaction creates a larger platform in a segment that investors increasingly view as structurally attractive. Infrastructure-focused private equity firms have shown growing interest in environmental compliance services, seeing them as durable markets rather than discretionary add-ons.

Consolidation brings challenges as well as opportunity. Integrating operations, product ranges and customer relationships can strain service levels in the short term, and contractors will be watching closely to see whether promised efficiencies are delivered.

Even so, the broader direction is clear. As regulatory scrutiny intensifies and weather-related risks rise, stormwater management is becoming a strategic concern. Scale, supply stability and consistent performance are likely to play a growing role in determining which providers succeed.