February 2015
» Archive

The Power of Collaboration

One 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!

1. 1. In the face of what we referred to at the time as the "privatization" threat, NACWA and the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) joined forces to provide our members with the information and tools they needed to become more competitive and self-sufficient. This resulted in a much leaner and efficient utility profile that served to thwart the concept of privatization taking hold in the U.S. (Today, however, recognizing that times have changed, we are working with the private finance sector to ensure the best options are on the table to maximize ratepayer investment.)
      
      
   2. In the aftermath of the World Trade Center attack, we again worked closely with AMWA to develop the tools that water, wastewater and combined utilities could use to protect their systems and facilities from attack or natural disasters. This very important work continues in the security arena today.
      
      
   3. The creation of the Water and Wastewater Leadership Center with AMWA, the Water Environment Federation (WEF) and the American Water Works Association (AWWA) has afforded critical management training to several hundred senior utility managers over the past 15 years and reflects the commitment our members have to improved management back home.
      
      
   4. The Utility of the Future Initiative, which we developed with WEF and the Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF), is shedding light on the need for a major change in how utilities conduct their business and we will continue with this work until the paradigm has indeed changed.

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."