Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies

AMWA is the nation’s only policy-making organization solely for metropolitan drinking water suppliers. The association was formed in 1981 by a group of general managers of metropolitan water systems who wanted to ensure that the issues of large publicly owned water suppliers would be represented in Washington, D.C. Member representatives to AMWA are the general managers and CEOs of these large water systems.

The Association represents the interests of these water systems by working with Congress and the federal agencies to ensure safe and cost-effective federal drinking water laws and regulations that protect public health.

AMWA has also served as the U.S. EPA-designated liaison between the water sector and the federal government on critical infrastructure protection and operates the Water Information Sharing and Analysis Center (WaterISAC) and the Water Security Channel (WaterSC).

In the realm of utility management, AMWA focuses on competitiveness issues, providing programs, publications and services to help water suppliers be more effective and efficient.

AMWA is governed by a 20-member Board of Directors, which represents all regions of the country. Committees on management, regulation and legislation provide the expertise to achieve water suppliers’ goals, including effective and efficient operations, regulations based on sound science and cost-effective laws that support the safety and security of drinking water. A full-time professional staff, located in Washington, D.C., conducts day-to-day operations.

AMWA’s primary objective is to be the unified and definitive voice for the nation’s largest publicly owned drinking water systems on regulatory, legislative and security issues. To this end, the association works with Congress and federal agencies to ensure safe and cost-effective federal drinking water laws and regulations and to develop federal-local partnerships to protect water systems and consumers against acts of terrorism.

AMWA is also committed to the collection and exchange of management, scientific and technical information to support competitive utility operations, effective utility leadership, safe and secure water supplies and effective public communication on drinking water quality.

The association focuses on four core areas: representation before Congress and in the federal regulatory process, utility management and water system security.

Representation Before Congress

AMWA was a leader in Congressional reauthorization of the Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996, legislation that fundamentally changed the way EPA develops rules. Each year AMWA lobbies Congress on funding for drinking water programs, watershed protection and other important programs. The association advocates for public finance legislation, a new Clean Water Act to reduce nonpoint source pollution, an updated Endangered Species Act and protection of the nation’s ground water supplies.

AMWA’s legislative and regulatory positions are developed by our members. Members annually update a series of resolutions representing the ass ociation’s positions on major drinking water issues. They believe publicly owned drinking water systems must be effective, efficient and competitive. They support promulgation of standards based upon sound health effects data, risk assessment, generally available technology and cost considerations. And, they advocate environmental priorities based on a scientific approach to policy making, renewed emphasis on pollution prevention and development of ground water and surface water protection initiatives.

Representation In The Regulatory Process

The association has strong credibility with regulators and a reputation for expert analysis that ensures we have an effective impact on every drinking water regulation EPA develops. EPA leaders regard AMWA as a credible source of information and a strong force in rule negotiations. Since the 1996 reauthorization of the Safe Drinking Water Act, AMWA has participated in hundreds of meetings and work sessions with the EPA on the Agency’s development of more than a dozen new rules and drinking water standards.

AMWA maintains close working relationships with EPA officials and other interests that influence policy. The association is recognized as a trustworthy, reliable and accurate source of policy-making advice and technical expertise. AMWA, for example, was a participant in the negotiations for Stage 2 of the Microbial/Disinfection Byproduct Rules and EPA’s process for selecting new contaminants to regulate. We continue to be a key stakeholder in the development of these rules and other federal initiatives that could affect drinking water systems.

Utility Management

Keeping pace with tremendous changes in the drinking water industry, AMWA focuses on competitiveness issues, providing programs, publications and services to help water suppliers be more effective and efficient. Members have access to the ideas of industry experts and the experience of leading water agency managers on best practices for competing in today’s challenging environment. For example, AMWA co-published The Changing Workforce . . . Crisis and Opportunity, Public vs. Private: Comparing the Costs and Evaluating Privatization II. Also, AMWA is a partner in the Water and Wastewater Leadership Center at the University of North Carolina, and the association hosts speakers on leadership and management topics at its annual conferences.

To recognize the achievements of competitive water systems, AMWA developed the Gold Awards for Competitiveness Achievement and Platinum Awards for Sustained Competitiveness Achievement. These programs recognize water systems that are successfully meeting the wide range of challenges that arise from the competitive climate of today’s water industry.

Water System Security

AMWA is a national leader in water security. The association has served as the EPA-designated coordinator for security in the water sector. In that role, AMWA worked with all of the water associations, the Department of Homeland Security, EPA’s Water Security Division and Congress on water security initiatives.

AMWA also spearheaded the development of the Water Information Sharing and Analysis Center (WaterISAC, www.waterisac.org), which is a fee-based service to provide sensitive water security information and resources to drinking water and wastewater utilities. It established the companion Water Security Channel (WaterSC, www.watersc.org), a free service that handles email distribution of water security information directly from DHS and EPA.