KRWA Honored as 2026 State Association of the Year at National Conference

Bowling Green, Kentucky — September 22, 2026

The Kentucky Rural Water Association (KRWA) has been named the 2026 State Association of the Year by the National Rural Water Association (NRWA), the organization’s most prestigious award for state rural water associations. The award was presented during NRWA’s Awards of Excellence at the 2026 WaterPro Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, on September 15.

The State Association of the Year honor recognizes outstanding work and impact across areas including training, on-site technical assistance, communications, legislative initiatives, and member services, as well as an association’s commitment to serving its members and communities.

“This award belongs to the entire KRWA community,” said Scott Young, Executive Director of the Kentucky Rural Water Association. “Our members are doing incredibly important work every day to provide safe, reliable water and wastewater services to communities across Kentucky. It is a privilege for our team to support them. This recognition reflects the dedication of our members, staff, Board of Directors, associate members, and partners who make that work possible.”

For KRWA, the recognition is both a reflection of the work being done today and an opportunity to continue looking ahead to the needs of Kentucky’s water and wastewater professionals.

“Receiving national recognition is something we are extremely proud of, but it also reinforces our responsibility to continue improving,” Young said. “Our goal is to make sure Kentucky’s water and wastewater professionals have the training, resources, relationships, and support they need to succeed now and in the future.”