Affordability-Financial Capability

The nation’s public clean water agencies, as well as the communities and households they serve, are facing ongoing impacts from the most severe economic downturn since the Great Depression. In this context, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and States with delegated Clean Water Act authority continue to impose costly regulatory requirements on, and pursue enforcement actions against, these utilities without fully considering the economic conditions impacting these agencies and the effectiveness of these expenditures in meeting environmental goals. NACWA is working to establish a new approach to assessing affordability and community financial capability limits that incorporates sound economic principles and encourages flexibility and innovation towards meeting the goals of the Clean Water Act in a sustainable manner.
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Effective Utility Management

Find out more about NACWA’s efforts with the Water Sector Collaboration on Effective Utility Management Committee as well as other initiative and projects designed  to help utilities find solutions to their management challenges.

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Finances & Rates

NACWA’s Financial Survey and Index provide an unparalleled look at the clean water sector’s revenues, expense capital needs, sewer service charges, rates and more.  NACWA works to ensure Congress and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have access to and understand this critical utility investment information.

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Infrastructure Funding

Cities and communities nationwide need to repair, replace and rehabilitate their aging and failing pipes and plants and build new infrastructure to comply with increasingly complex regulations to protect public health and safeguard the environment. The funding gap between what is now being spent and what is needed for capital projects in our communities – and the potential consequences of further inaction – is in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Simply stated, there is an unprecedented consensus that the nation's rivers, lakes and streams will face irreparable harm if we fail to act now.
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Integrated Planning

Over the last 40 years, communities have been responding to a growing list of Clean Water Act regulatory mandates to improve the nation's water quality. Oftentimes taking on compounded wastewater and stormwater responsibilities, many communities are struggling to allocate dwindling resources to these many clean water efforts. EPA has recognized the regulated community’s need for flexibility, and developed its Integrated Municipal Stormwater and Wastewater Planning Approach Framework (Framework) in 2012. NACWA and its members have been working with EPA and state water regulators to ensure the Framework can be utilized by communities when appropriate.
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Security & Emergency Preparedness

The nation's publicly owned treatment works are continually working to secure their facilities and improve their preparedness for terrorist attaches, natural disasters and all other threats.  NACWA works with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other water sector associations on projects that will help utilities with their security and emergency preparedness.  NACWA's advocacy in this area focuses on preserving local choices for utilities and obtaining funding for any mandatory security measures.

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