ARCHIVE SITE - Last updated Jan. 19, 2017. Please visit www.NACWA.org for the latest NACWA information.
ARCHIVE SITE - Last updated Jan. 19, 2017. Please visit www.NACWA.org for the latest NACWA information.
The Power of CollaborationOne of NACWA's greatest strengths over the years has been its commitment to working collaboratively with other organizations to meet the needs of its members, improve water quality and protect the environment. This has involved working closely with both traditional and non-traditional partners in the water, agriculture, finance and energy sectors often mirroring similar partnerships that our members forge back home. Last week in Charleston, the theme of our annual Winter Conference was "Leaving the Comfort Zone ... Collaborating for Clean Water". With this theme as a backdrop, we spent four days engaging in discussions, sharing ideas, and inspiring peers with how the utility community is engaging non-traditional partners – or strangers" – in collaborative work to improve water quality and protect the environment. There is no question that 2014 was a banner year for NACWA in working productively with other organizations. The Association is proud to have entered a number of innovative collaborations like the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) we signed with the National Milk Producers Federation to increase collaboration on watershed improvement projects; working with the environmental NGO's to promote sustainable infrastructure through the Federal Green Infrastructure Collaborative; and joining other national water organizations in the Value of Water Coalition to develop a common, "one voice/one water" message to address our most pressing challenges. Of course, NACWA's commitment to collaboration started with its inception as the Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies (AMSA). Immediately after passage of the Clean Water Act, a number of organizations in the water sector worked together with EPA to implement the new program as well as with Congress and the Administration to keep the grant funds flowing to assist communities in meeting the ambitious requirements of the new law. We also met with our peers to hash out arrangements on pretreatment, biosolids and toxics and used our collaborative influences to structure the National CSO Policy. I have been asked frequently over the years, "How does NACWA collaborate with others?" My answer is always the same, "often and whenever possible!" I am also frequently asked which collaborative initiatives have been the most rewarding and of most benefit to our members and our industry. While this is a much tougher question, here are my top four!
As we look to the future, let me leave you with two thoughts. First, while NACWA has worked with state and regional clean water agencies since its inception, we need to continue this commitment and formally engage the robust network of local clean water and stormwater groups that span the country. With more and more regulation and oversight coming directly from the states, these groups are able to provide NACWA with valuable on-the-ground insight, while gaining a better understanding of issues nationwide from our expertise. Second, and perhaps more important, in an era of dwindling budgets and a complex legal and regulatory environment – to steal a phrase: "no one is an island". And, no water organization, including NACWA, can hope to accomplish anything substantial without the help of existing and new friends, or "strangers". In line with this, NACWA needs to continue to support the U.S. Water Alliance and its mission on behalf of "One Water". All of the Association's alliances have resulted in both improved dialogue as well as enhanced technical and financial capabilities for everyone involved. While at times we fall short and our collaborative objectives are not met, this work needs to continue. As Dr. Alan Gregerman, our Winter Conference Keynote Speaker and author of "The Necessity of Strangers" reminded us: "We can learn much from our friends and colleagues but even more from strangers and we must all continue to step out of our comfort zone to grow and flourish." |
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Winter Conference
Next Generation Compliance …Where Affordability & Innovation Intersect
February 4 – 7, 2017
Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel
Tampa, FL