AWWA launches process to develop first-of-its-kind DEI standard

As a first for the water sector and a meaningful step forward for water professionals, the American Water Works Association (AWWA) is initiating development of a management standard for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Practices. 

At AWWA’s 2023 Council Summit last October, the Standards Council launched the process by voting to establish a committee to move forward on developing a standard. About 20 people are on the committee, and they recently met to initiate their work. 

“It’s exciting that we’re writing a management standard on this topic, and it’s been great to see the enthusiasm and support from the Standards Council, the AWWA Board, other councils, members, committees and sections,” said Paul Olson, AWWA’s senior manager of standards. “This new standard will provide guidance to utilities that want to implement better or more standardized practices, as well as other members from consulting agencies and manufacturers.” 

The action comes two years after the Standards Council set out to incorporate more DEI initiatives into its programs to increase the involvement of underrepresented groups in standards work so they are responsive to all end users. The council invited a member of the Association’s Diversity and Member Inclusion Committee (DMIC) to serve as a liaison, resulting in the appointment of Brianna Huber, director of water filtration with the City of East Moline, Illinois.

From discussion to development

Huber provided information about DEI practices to the council, which led to discussions about developing a management standard. Huber and six other AWWA members submitted a proposal to address topics such as culture, leadership, accountability, workspace, recruitment, workforce, affordability, and others. 

The proposal included this statement: “Standards provide common language to create, measure and evaluate performance, make interoperability of DEI programs possible, and protect people by ensuring the equity, quality, consistency, reliability and safety of DEI initiatives.” 

Huber said the new standard is coming at a pivotal point in the water sector. “It will support the efforts of water and wastewater systems, as well as other AWWA member organizations, to build and sustain their workforces, more effectively engage with their workforce and communities, address environmental justice, and increase financial viability,” she added.

AWWA has notified the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) that it is initiating a project to create a new G415 standard titled, “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Practices.”

Olson noted that the process for developing a standard is “based on committee consensus, along with public review to reflect a true industry consensus.”

“There’s a very deliberate and defined process for how we develop a management standard like this,” he added. “We follow AWWA and ANSI procedures to ensure the process is open and fair and all interested parties can contribute and have their positions considered.”