Clean Water Current
Water Sector Comes Together for Successful, Well-Attended Water Week 2022
Following a two-year in-person hiatus due to the pandemic, hundreds of clean water professionals converged in Washington, DC last week for Water Week 2022. Through a series of events taking place April 24th - April 30th, a broad array of municipal, state and regional water sector professionals from across the country met with Members of Congress and federal regulators to discuss key issues, network with one another and applaud champions for progress in addressing our nation’s water challenges.
The cornerstone event of Water Week was the National Water Policy Fly-In jointly hosted by NACWA, the Water Environment Federation (WEF), the Water Research Foundation (WRF), and the WaterReuse Association.
The agenda for this year’s event featured US EPA Office of Water Assistant Administrator Radhika Fox as the keynote speaker. On the heels of the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation (BIL), Assistant Administrator Fox expressed her optimism for the future of the sector. She also offered a reminder of the significant strides made over the five decades since the enactment of the Clean Water Act, saying “…we made a bet on clean water, we made a bet on our nation, and we got to work.”
The National Water Policy Fly-In also included dynamic panelists including EPA Office of Water Directors, the Department of Energy and the Department of Interior. The panelists discussed current initiatives and offered insights into the direction of the Biden Administration and plan of action to maximize BIL dollars over the next five years.
In a show of strong bipartisan congressional leadership, local U.S. Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and the leaders of the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee – Chairman Tom Carper (D-DE) and Ranking Member Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) – provided a crowd of over 300 attendees with candid remarks and Congressional perspectives on the importance of robust investment for clean water infrastructure, as well as the pressing challenges posed by emerging contaminants such as PFAS.
Underscoring the significance of the recent congressional momentum on infrastructure and opportunities for additional progress, Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) offered concluding remarks for the event - “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Without water, we have no life. I’m thrilled to work with my colleague [Ranking Member Capito] to help pass the most ambitious water infrastructure package in the history of the country.”
Water Week 2022 embodied a strong, unified voice for water and policy-shaping energy from water sector leaders around the country. NACWA is thrilled at the success of Water Week 2022 and together with our partners, we look forward to offering the best possible platform for a stimulating exchange of knowledge as we work to plan Water Week 2023.
Please contact NACWA's legislative team with any questions or to discuss further.