The National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) and the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) have kicked off their joint Affordable Water, Resilient Communities campaign. The campaign will increase awareness among federal lawmakers, key stakeholders, and the public around the vital role of public water sector utilities in supporting healthy, resilient communities, the financial challenges local utilities and their customers face after years of increasing local costs and declining federal cost-share, and the critical need for greater federal investment in water infrastructure.
Federal investment in water infrastructure has declined to less than 5 percent, while total costs for capital, operations, and maintenance have grown for decades. This decline in federal investment, coupled with the growing cost to provide clean and safe water, have strained households’ ability to pay for water services—with a disproportionate impact on low-income households—as water rates have steadily climbed to meet increasing infrastructure costs, public health demands, and environmental requirements.
The Affordable Water, Resilient Communities campaign launches with three goals:
- Ensure efficient, effective implementation of federal water utility bill relief and establish a permanent federal low-income water customer assistance program.
- Support increased federal investment in water infrastructure.
- Help public water utilities recover from the pandemic and play a vital role in a strong economic recovery with reinvestment in America’s critical infrastructure to ensure a stronger, healthier, resilient future.
For more information, please visit affordableh2o.org. There, users will find resources and tools for advancing the campaign in their communities, including fact sheets, social media resources, and more.
Source: National Association of Clean Water Agencies and Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies
