While clean water agencies are investing significant resources to improve water quality, they continue to face increasingly complex regulatory challenges, including more stringent standards, and other mandates that add to a growing list of investment needs. From a purely scientific standpoint these new requirements appear necessary to achieve the goals of the Clean Water Act. From a policy perspective, however, does it make sense to continue efforts to meet these increasingly stringent and costly requirements, when smarter investments--in other water or broad environmental areas--can more quickly and effectively enhance water quality and protect public health? With sights set on Exploring Net Environmental Benefit: Balancing Science & Cost, the compelling agenda for NACWA’s 2018 Winter Conference will examine the intersection of science, policy, and cost – and its impact on the clean water community.