Who We Are

On March 29, 1881, 22 water utility manager, engineers, and operators gathered at the Campus of Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. This meeting was the first-ever Annual Convention & Exposition (ACE) and marked the founding of AWWA.

In 1905, the first edition of Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater was published by the American Public Health Association (APHA). In 1925, AWWA joined APHA to publish the 6th edition. Today, Standard Methods is in its 24th edition, marking more than a century of dedication to water quality and analysis.

On May 12, 1908, AWWA’s first standard, C100 for Cast Iron Water Pipes and Special Castings, was adopted. Today, C100’s modern day counterpart is AWWA C151 Ductile-Iron Pipe, Centrifugally Cast.

AWWA’s flagship trade magazine, Journal AWWA, is born. Journal AWWA is the voice of the association and serves as a forum for thought leaders in the water and wastewater industry to learn about critical issues affecting water.

In 1920, the AWWA Standards Council was formed. Now, nearly 1,600 volunteer subject matter experts contribute to the development of 190+ standards that inform the water community and protect public health.

In November 1943, the water conservation mascot of “Willing Water” was developed. This mascot served as a popular and fun reminder on the importance of water conservation and stewardship for decades.

In December 1966, the AWWA Research Foundation was founded. This foundation has since evolved into the Water Research Foundation we know today.

In 1967, AWWA opened a Washington D.C. office to further support its membership in environmental, legislative, and regulatory issues. Today, AWWA’s policy and advocacy team continue to support AWWA members on vital issues.

On December 2, 1970, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was created.

In June 1972, Denver was selected as the new headquarters for AWWA, where it remains today.

The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) was signed into law to protect public health by authorizing national enforceable standards for drinking water quality.

AWWA published the first issue of Opflow, the water community’s primary network for operator-level works. The award-winning magazine presents new and established technologies and ideas that readers can apply to their operations.

The Clean Water Act was amended and became law.

Water for People was founded by AWWA. Water for People is an international nonprofit that partners with local community members, businesses, and governments to help them bring sustainable water and sanitation systems to their communities.

In 1995, the Partnership for Safe Water was created as a response to the 1993 Cryptosporidium outbreak in Milwaukee. Today, Partnership Programs advance excellence in water utility management, operations, and performance.

In 2004, AWWA published its first State of the Water Industry Report. The report, which continues to publish today, annually provides trends and analysis of water community issues based on an authoritative survey.

The AWWA Utility Benchmarking Program launched. Today, the program provides data-driven insights that help utilities hit their targets, compare their performance relative to peers, and shape the future of their utility management.

In 2006, AWWA celebrated the association’s 125th anniversary of work dedicated the world’s most vital resource.

In 2014, the Community Engineering Corps was established as a collaboration between founding partners American Society of Civil Engineers, AWWA, and Engineers Without Borders-USA — powerhouses in the infrastructure and development sectors. The program is dedicated to engineering local impact and providing crucial pro-bono engineering and consulting services to underserved communities across the U.S.

In 2015, Water Equation, AWWA’s philanthropic arm, was founded.

The Partnership for Clean Water (PCW) was founded in 2016 as a parallel program to the Partnership for Safe Water. PCW provides optimization resources for wastewater utilities, bringing a One Water approach to optimization.

AWWA launched AWWA Water Science, the association’s online scholarly journal.

In 2020, the AWWA Standards Council celebrated 100 years of dedicated service to public health.

September 26, 2021, AWWA celebrated the first-ever Source Water Protection Week.

On March 10, 2022, AWWA launched the Water 2050 initiative. By engaging in thoughtful, intentional, and inclusive discourse resulting in bold, achievable goals, AWWA’s Water 2050 initiative will shape a long-term vision of the future of water that will chart a course for a successful and sustainable water community.

The Transformative Water Leadership Academy, a collaboration between AWWA and the WaterNow Alliance, welcomed the program’s inaugural cohort in 2023. The program is where the next generation of water utility leaders focus on the foundations of sustainable community leadership.

In 2024, the water community and AWWA celebrated 50 years of safe drinking water while looking ahead to future improvements of the Safe Drinking Water Act.