Leadership

Working to shape the future of water

AWWA’s membership includes utility leaders, experts in water technology and finance, and US water and water system operators that ensure water services to hundreds of millions of people 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.  When it comes to water, they are the people that can tell decision-makers what they need to know. 

Learn more about the Water Utility Council and meet the government affairs staff.

Read more about AWWA in Action      

US Capitol

Our Mission

AWWA’s government affairs mission is straightforward:

  • We advocate for sensible laws, regulations, programs and policies that ensure safe and affordable water for all Americans.
  • We support sensible and effective measures that protect America's irreplaceable sources of drinking water.
  • We help water utilities function as high-performing and sustainable business enterprises (whether municipal or investor owned) so they can provide excellent service to their customers, today and over the long run.

Our Accomplishments

Over the years, our members working together have accomplished much:

  • We have conducted and continue to run an annual Water Matters! Fly-In that brings AWWA members from across the country to Washington to bring the water community's concerns directly to members of Congress and their staffs.
  • We led the water community in encouraging Congress to approve the Water Infrastructure Financing and Innovation Act in 2014.
  • We led the water community in the widely acclaimed 1996 amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act, which moved away from quotas for standards to focus attention on the most important health threats.
  • We led the water community in the Federal Advisory Committee process that negotiated changes to important rules, including the Disinfection By-products Rule, the Long Term 2 Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule and the Total Coliform Rule.
  • We led the successful fight against petrochemical company efforts to prevent utilities from suing to get contribution for cleanups from the contaminant MTBE.

Together with partner organizations our efforts led to:

  • Water Infrastructure Financing and Innovation Act in 2014.
  • The widely acclaimed 1996 amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act, which moved away from quotas for standards to focus attention on the most important health threats.
  • Negotiate changes to important rules, including the Disinfection By-products Rule, the Surface Water Treatment Rule, and the Total Coliform Rule.
  • Successfully fought against petrochemical company efforts to prevent utilities from suing to get contribution for cleanups from the contaminant MTBE.

Today we provide ongoing thought leadership on critical problems facing water utilities, such as infrastructure finance.

The Voice of Water in Washington, D.C.

To carry out our mission in Washington, we establish and maintain effective working relationships with federal agencies, industry associations, key non-governmental organizations and other important stakeholders. We work hard to ensure that our members know what is happening in Washington that affects them and affects their ability to serve safe and affordable water to their customers. And we work equally hard to ensure that federal decision-makers hear the "voice of water" as they approach critical decisions.


WORKING HARD. WORKING TOGETHER. WORKING FOR YOU. WE WATCH WASHINGTON!

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