Policy & Advocacy

The Voice of Water in Washington, D.C.

AWWA was formed to “promote public health, safety, and welfare through the improvement of the quality and quantity of water.”

Today, more than a century later the Water Utility Council is “the voice of water” on water policy.

AWWA delivers sector’s knowledge and expertise to inform national decision makers and through AWWA’s sections to state capitals.

Read AWWA’s May 2024 Government Affairs Update
AWWA joins other water sector associations in a letter to President Biden requesting full funding for the Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Funds in his Fiscal Year 2025 Budget.
In a letter organized by the Council of Infrastructure and Financing Authorities (CIFA), AWWA joined 18 organizations in urging Congressional leadership to fund the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (SRFs) to the maximum authorization in federal law, $3 billion each, for fiscal year 2024.
On July 18, 2023, Orange County Water District and West Morgan-East Lawrence Water and Sewer Authority, working with the Water Coalition Against PFAS (of which AWWA is a key member) held an event to examine the impacts of PFAS liability the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and examine ways to focus that liability on those who created the issues (the “polluter pays” principle) rather than those passively receiving PFAS.
In a May 2023 survey, a statistically representative sample of public water system customers conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of AWWA indicates that confidence in tap water remains high.
In In May 2024, EPA issued the final Consumer Confidence Report Rule Revisions.
In April 2024, AWWA conducted its Fly-In, with AWWA sections sending delegates from all over the country to meet with their members of Congress to discuss essential water-related issues. This year, these delegates discussed creating a permanent low-income customer assistance program; issues related to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA); fully funding the Drinking Water State Revolving Funds and halting the practice of diverting funds from the State Revolving Funds to pay for congressional earmarks; and developing a co-regulatory approach for cybersecurity for water systems.

Advocacy Priorities

Learn more about the wide-ranging policy issues the AWWA Water Utility Council and Government Affairs staff are currently working on.

Legislative Activities

Read about AWWA’s annual Water Matters! Fly-In and our positions on key pending legislation.

Leadership

Learn more about the Water Utility Council, AWWA’s Government Affairs staff and the work we do in Washington.

AWWA Policy Statements

Access AWWA’s Statements of Policy on Public Water Supply Matters.

Communication & Outreach

Public Communications Toolkit and materials to help you celebrate Drinking Water Week, help your customers understand issues related to lead in drinking water, and communicate the Value of Water.