For decades, the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act have improved and protected the nation’s waters and public health. We are all justifiably proud of the significant progress that has been made. As we begin 2010, we must challenge ourselves to do even more. No longer can we afford to look at drinking water, wastewater, stormwater management, and water reuse as segregated issues – crafting solutions to individual challenges without considering the watershed within which these issues coexist. No longer can we afford to look at water issues without taking into account pressures to balance competing demands for water resources, nonpoint source pollution, climate change, energy use and economic factors. In partnership, utilities and regulatory and resource agencies must work toward a comprehensive, integrated approach to ensuring sustainable cities.

Change from our approach over the last few decades is essential, and aligning practices and policies with a comprehensive, holistic approach to water is fundamental. Starting with the basic understanding that drinking water and clean water utilities are dedicated to delivering quality of life enhancement for their communities, we must ensure that every dollar spent by communities goes to projects based on the best available science and will result in measurable water quality and public health improvements.

Solutions are needed to control all sources of pollution and address all uses of water, including municipal water supply, in the context of overall watershed health. Further, new approaches should be flexible enough to take into account the likely impacts of climate change and innovative enough to encourage the use of green infrastructure and other low impact development techniques that can improve water quality and provide a host of ancillary environmental and community benefits.

Effecting these changes will require renewed dedication and commitment from all stakeholders, and leadership from President Obama and his Administration. The organizations represented here (and described herein) stand ready to continue their important role into the 21st century, and are committed to improving water quality and ensuring safe drinking water across the nation – and to exploring innovative ideas and partnerships that will achieve the nation’s environmental goals.

Participating Organizations

The American Water Works Association unites the full spectrum of the water community – utilities of all sizes and types of ownership as well as engineering firms, manufacturers, academics, customers, and others – to provide a singular expertise on safe and clean water issues worldwide. AWWA’s utility members serve safe water to over 80 percent of the American population.

The Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) is the voice of the largest publicly owned drinking water systems in the U.S., collectively serving 125 million people, on environmental, public health and infrastructure protection policy issues. AMWA also supports utility CEOs by providing them with valued management resources.

The National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) is the leading advocate for responsible national policies that advance clean and safe waters and a healthy, sustainable environment. NACWA represents the collective interests of America’s clean water utilities – dedicated public servants and true environmental champions.

The National Association of Water Companies (NAWC) represents all aspects of the private water service industry. The range of our members’ business includes ownership of regulated drinking water and wastewater utilities and the many forms of public-private partnerships and management contract arrangements.

The National Rural Water Association (NRWA) is the federation of state rural water associations, representing over 27,000 small and rural communities’ water and wastewater systems. State rural water associations provide grassroots environmental protection through technical assistance and training in small and rural communities for energy and water conservation and drinking water, wastewater, and source water protection.

Water Environment Federation® (WEF®) is a not-for-profit technical and educational organization with 35,000 individual members and 75 affiliated Member Associations representing water quality professionals around the world. WEF and its Member Associations proudly work to achieve our mission of preserving and enhancing the global water environment

The Western Coalition of Arid States (WESTCAS) is dedicated to encouraging the development of water programs and regulations which assure adequate supplies of high quality water for those living in the arid regions while protecting the environment.

WateReuse represents an international group of organizations and individuals working together to improve and increase local water supplies. WateReuse consists of two independently governed organizations with a unified mission and combined staff.