NACWA Completes Successful Winter Conference, Launches New Environmental Justice Committee
Nearly 200 people gathered in Scottsdale, Arizona this week for NACWA’s 2022 Winter Conference. Participants followed strict COVID-19 protocols for safety and health but still enjoyed reconnecting with one another at NACWA’s first annual conference since the start of the pandemic.
The conference program included both committee discussions and plenary sessions and covered a wide variety of topics including PFAS, cybersecurity, resiliency, use of new data and technology, and a look back at the successes of NACWA and its members over the last 50 years of clean water.
A highlight of the conference was also the inaugural meeting of NACWA’s new Environmental Justice Committee, which was formed last year by President Kishia Powell to guide the Association’s advocacy efforts around environmental justice both within the municipal clean water sector but also in broader clean water policy discussions.
Senior leadership from EPA, including Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox, addressed conference participants and provided updates on current EPA priorities. There was also a session between EPA leaders and senior executives from NACWA member utilities to discuss priorities and questions around implementation of the recent bipartisan infrastructure legislation, which includes $55 billion for water investment.
NACWA thanks all of its conference sponsors for their support of the meeting and all the attendees for their patience and cooperation in adhering to the COVID-19 safety protocols. We hope to see you at the National Water Policy Fly-In and Water Week in Washington, DC in April!