» Advocacy Alerts Archive 

As many NACWA members already know, the Water Resources Utility of the Future (UOTF) concept has become firmly entrenched within the water sector across the United States. But as an important sign of just how quickly the UOTF banner is spreading, stories about UOTF concepts have been regularly making headlines in national and local media as communities and clean water agencies nationwide continue to pursue innovative approaches to a broad array of issues.

This media attention is strong evidence that as communities increasingly face challenges related to drought, climate change, wet weather, and affordability, they are adopting innovative technologies and approaches. These media articles are also a great way to inform the public and policymakers about how clean water agencies are key economic drivers and job creators in the communities.

NACWA also has a Utility of the Future in the Spotlight column in the bimonthly Advocate that features UOTF initiatives. If you would like your utility or organization to be featured, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

As we kick off a new year focused on innovation in the water sector, we wanted to share with the NACWA membership some of the top stories we have collected over the past couple of months highlighting the great UOTF work that clean water utilities are doing. Please click on the links below to learn about some of the amazing work being done in the clean water sector.

New water authority readies sludge drying facility - Detroit Free Press 
A new $143-million facility that turns poop into fertilizer is expected to be running by April, a technological advance that could eventually eliminate the need to incinerate sludge in Detroit. "It's cost-effective. It's environmentally sound, proven technology," said Sue McCormick, CEO of the new Great Lakes Water Authority. "We're very excited about it coming online."

D.C. Water begins harnessing electricity from every flush - Washington Post
The next time you flush in the nation’s capital, you might consider this: You — or, more precisely, whatever you have flushed — will help generate clean energy. D.C. Water, which also treats sewage from much of the Maryland and Northern Virginia suburbs, recently became the first utility in North America to use a Norwegian thermal hydrolysis system to convert the sludge left over from treated sewage into electricity.

This brand new turf field sits atop millions of gallons of liquid sewage - Washington Post
Eighteen million gallons of sewage swirl in storage tanks beneath the new athletic field and bike trail in Alexandria’s Carlyle-Eisenhower East neighborhood, awaiting treatment so it can be released into a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. But athletes who are slated to use the field starting this winter will not smell anything — except perhaps their own sweat — promised officials with Alexandria Renew Enterprises, the Virginia public utility that owns the field and the tanks below it.

How Chicago Turns Sewage Into Power - CityLab
There are a lot of things in the 1.2 billion gallons that pour through the world’s largest water-treatment plant every day: grime swept off Chicago sidewalks, sewage scoured from thousands of miles of pipes—and enough energy to cut an annual $50 million electricity bill to zero. MWRD isn’t the only sewage treatment agency doing this. DC Water and Hampton Roads Sanitation District in Virginia are also taking aggressive steps to recast wastewater as energy.

Sewer Mining: An Unconventional Solution To Water Scarcity - WaterWorld
‘Sewer mining’ may sound like a search for mistakenly flushed and washed-away valuables, but it’s actually a sophisticated, sustainable strategy for combating water scarcity. The practice combines two increasingly popular trends — decentralized water management and water reuse — by taking municipal wastewater from a trunk sewer and treating it on-site to accommodate a range of local, nonpotable water needs.

New York City Strives For Net-Zero Energy At 14 WWTPs - Water Online
“Net-zero energy” may sound like nothing more than an idealist turn of phrase, but one city has a plan to make it a reality at its 14 wastewater treatment plants. As part of a sustainability initiative known as OneNYC, the city of New York is undergoing and planning extensive upgrades to achieve net-zero energy at its wastewater treatment plants by 2050.

The 98 Million-Gallon "Trickle": Stormwater Conservation Projects May Help L.A. Become Self-Reliant - KCET
The trickle that runs through the LA River nearly year-round is a joke to many Angelenos and outsiders who would say its not really river. But when it rains, the river's torrent proves those naysayers otherwise. The city's increasing need for water is now pushing lawmakers and water agencies to use the 51-mile rivers' function as a flood control channel to their advantage by converting it to a center for stormwater capture, one revitalization project at a time.

L.A. Turns to the Stone Age to Tackle Water Problem - Next City
Amid California’s ongoing drought, Los Angeles is testing a stone-age technology with a modern spin: cisterns that are connected to the cloud. Rainwater from each property will be diverted into “smart cisterns” connected to a cloud-based software. If rain is in the forecast and the cistern is full, the program will slowly release water into the newly bioswaled yard, making space for the coming storm. TreePeople brought three of Los Angeles’ water-related agencies together to collaborate, the Department of Water and Power (LADWP), the Bureau of Sanitation (LASAN), and the County Flood Control District (LACFCD) and the StormCatcher cistern program is the first time these three agencies are collectively planning, funding, implementing and monitoring a cradle-to-grave stormwater system that meets all of their mandates.

Boating in a sewage treatment plant? How this artist designs inviting and functional landscapes - LancasterOnline
This articles highlights three of Patricia Johanson’s work designing multipurpose wastewater and stormwater treatment facilities inspired by nature. Johanson has spent the past 45 years merging art, ecology, landscaping and engineering. There’s a lot going on, but they’re also inviting to plants, animals and people. A sewage treatment plant created clear ponds, vegetation and wildlife, which attract boaters and landscape painting classes.

Methane from sewage wastewater may become area's next source of electricity - Chattanooga Times Free Press
Tiny microbes go to work to break it down, converting the solid waste into methane gas — 300,000 cubic feet a day — that is currently burned off. But if Chattanooga Wastewater Resources officials have their way, that gas will all be converted into electricity. The City Council last week unanimously authorized the Department of Public Works to apply for a Tennessee Valley Authority grant that would pay more than half the cost of a $6.1 million methane-to-electricity project, leaving the city's share at nearly $2.7 million

Prince William County Service Authority reaches out to community - Washington Post
The Prince William County Service Authority, which provides drinking water and wastewater treatment to about 250,000 Prince William customers, is serious about its community relations. The authority is an independent public body — which means it’s funded by its customers, not by county tax revenue — and it tries to be an outlet for environmental and community education instead of just another utility sending out bills.

Texas Cities Recycle Wastewater Into Drinking Water To Boost Dwindling Supplies - Fronteras: The Changing America Desk
The Roberto Bustamante Wastewater Treatment Plant cleans up used domestic water from the rapidly growing east side of El Paso, Texas.

NACWA is always looking to hear from our member utilities about the innovative work you all are doing in technology, finance, outreach, collaborations, and more. We not only want to share these great projects with a larger audience, but having a central repository of the full range of UOTF work taking place across the country will allow NACWA to better tell and advance the UOTF story. Please send any articles that feature the UOTF-style projects being implemented by your utility and/or community to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .