May 2015
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One Water . . . One Valuable Water

 In February 2008, NACWA's Board of Directors gave the 'green light' for the creation of the Clean Water America Alliance (CWAA), a 501(c)(3) national nonprofit organization dedicated to the premise that every American, every city, every corporation, has an obligation to guarantee the future of our most precious resource – water.  In the months that followed, the Alliance focused on breaking down silos and changing old paradigms, including shifting the perception of water from invisible to invaluable.  Since then the vision endorsed by NACWA's Board – of a world where water is viewed, managed and valued as one resource – has been increasingly embraced.

As thinking evolved, so did the Alliance.  I had served as its President – as well as the Executive Director of NACWA – since the time of its founding.  But there came a time for the Alliance to embrace a more independent identity.  In December of 2010 we welcomed Ben Grumbles, former Assistant Administrator for Water of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, as the new President of the Clean Water America Alliance.  And in October of 2011, NACWA's Board of Directors, as was always its intent, withdrew as the sole voting member of the Alliance.  In November 2012, the Clean Water America Alliance announced a name change to the U.S. Water Alliance, more closely aligning itself with its integrated 'one water' vision.

As independence of the Alliance grew, NACWA Member Agencies, Affiliates, and staff leadership continued to support the organization as Board Members and in other key positions.  The U.S. Water Alliance has gone on to embrace One Water Management; convene an Urban Water Sustainability Council; create the U.S. Water Prize; and, host annual One Water Leadership Summits – but a constant has always been the clear vision of a world where water is viewed, managed and valued as one resource.

Initially parallel to – and now joined with – this vision was the 2012 formation of The Value of Water Coalition, a cadre of public and private water agencies, business and community leaders, and national organizations united in communicating the importance of water to the economic, environmental, and social well-being of America.  As a founder of the Coalition, NACWA – along with the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA); the Water Environment Federation (WEF); the American Water Works Association (AWWA); the National Association of Water Companies (NAWC); the U.S. Water Alliance; American Water; CH2M; MWH Global; United Water; Veolia; and, Xylem – is working to build national will for investment in water infrastructure and water resources.

The local and national leaders that make up the Value of Water Coalition are working collaboratively today to educate the nation to recognize that water is essential and invaluable.  We are united in elevating the value and importance of water; united in convening events that bring together all those needed to make smart and sustainable decisions about our nation's water infrastructure and water resources; and, united in cultivating new partnerships, collaborations, and champions for the value of water. 

Ben Grumbles recently left the helm of the U.S. Water Alliance when tapped to serve as Maryland's new Secretary of the Environment.  Today both the Alliance and the Value of Water Coalition find themselves in a time of both opportunity and transition.  It's a time when, in my view, the shared interests and objectives of these two entities should merge as one to carry forward the message of one water . . . one valuable water.

Whatever the future holds I know that with constant and deliberate effort – and the inspiration derived from NACWA's Member Agencies – our nation's perception of water is now evolving from invisible to invaluable – an achievement for which we should all be proud!