American Water Works Association (AWWA) is an international

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

, scientific and educational association founded to improve water quality and supply. Established in 1881, it is a lobbying organization representing a membership (as of 2024) of around 50,000 members worldwide. AWWA members include: water utilities, treatment plant operators and managers,

scientist A scientist is a person who Scientific method, researches to advance knowledge in an Branches of science, area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engag ...

environmentalists Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology, and social movement about supporting life, habitats, and surroundings. While environmentalism focuses more on the environmental and nature-related aspects of green ideology and politics, ecologi ...

manufacturers Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of the secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to a r ...

academics Academic means of or related to an academy, an institution learning. Academic or academics may also refer to: * Academic staff, or faculty, teachers or research staff * school of philosophers associated with the Platonic Academy in ancient Greece ...

regulators Regulator may refer to: Technology * Regulator (automatic control), a device that maintains a designated characteristic, as in: ** Battery regulator ** Pressure regulator ** Diving regulator ** Voltage regulator * Regulator (sewer), a control de ...

, and others with an interest in water supply and

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the de ...

. AWWA works through advocacy, communications, conferences, education and training, science and technology, and local action among 43 AWWA Sections throughout

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

History

In 1908, AWWA began developing industry standards for products, processes and best practices. The AWWA Standards Program is recognized internationally as a source for scientific and management reference resources for the water community. Currently, there are over 150 AWWA Standards covering

filtration Filtration is a physical separation process that separates solid matter and fluid from a mixture using a ''filter medium'' that has a complex structure through which only the fluid can pass. Solid particles that cannot pass through the filte ...

materials, treatment chemicals,

disinfection A disinfectant is a chemical substance or compound used to inactivate or destroy microorganisms on inert surfaces. Disinfection does not necessarily kill all microorganisms, especially resistant bacterial spores; it is less effective than ...

practices, meters,

valve A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or Slurry, slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically Pip ...

s, utility management practices,

storage tank Storage tanks are containers that hold liquids or compressed gases. The term can be used for reservoirs (artificial lakes and ponds), and for manufactured containers. The usage of the word "tank" for reservoirs is uncommon in American English ...

s, pumps, and

ductile iron Ductile iron, also known as ductile cast iron, nodular cast iron, spheroidal graphite iron, spheroidal graphite cast iron and SG iron, is a type of graphite-rich cast iron discovered in 1943 by Keith Millis. While most varieties of cast iron are ...

steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...

, asbestos-cement, and

plastic pipe Plastic pipe is a tubular section, or hollow cylinder, made of plastic. It is usually, but not necessarily, of circular cross-section, used mainly to convey substances which can flow—liquids and gases (fluids), slurries, powders and masses of sm ...

and fittings. Standing committees periodically review and update the standards as required. In reviewing the success of the

Safe Drinking Water Act The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) is the primary federal law in the United States intended to ensure safe drinking water for the public. Pursuant to the act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required to set standards for drinking wa ...

after 1974, senior EPA officials cite the vital role that AWWA played as a neutral meeting ground, particularly at the local level. In May 1985, the

United States Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent agency of the United States government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it began operation on De ...

entered into a cooperative agreement with a consortium led by

NSF International NSF (an initialism for National Sanitation Foundation) is a public health organization. Written by employees of the National Sanitation Foundation. headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan that tests and certifies foods, water, and consumer produc ...

to develop voluntary third-party consensus standards and a certification program for all direct and indirect drinking water additives. Other members of the consortium include AWWA. The consortium is responsible for the cooperative effort of manufacturers, regulators, product users and other interested parties that develop and maintain the NSF standards. In 1988, AWWA together with the League of Women Voters, the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators and the US Environmental Protection Agency formed a coalition to pass a Congressional resolution naming the first week of May as "Drinking Water Week." In February 1991, AWWA founded Water For People, a non-profit international development organization that helps people in

developing countries A developing country is a sovereign state with a less-developed Secondary sector of the economy, industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to developed countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. ...

improve their quality of life by supporting the development of locally sustainable drinking water resources, sanitation facilities, and health and hygiene education programs. The AWWA has sued the EPA on at least two occasions over drinking water standards: * In 1994, they sued and won over the lead in drinking water rules, specifically challenging "the inclusion of privately owned water lines in the definition of distribution facilities under a public water system's control. * In June, 2024, together with the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, they sued over the

PFAS Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (also PFAS, PFASs, and informally referred to as "forever chemicals") are a group of synthetic organofluorine chemical compounds that have multiple fluorine atoms attached to an alkyl chain; there are 7 millio ...

contamination limits claiming that "EPA has significantly underestimated the costs of this rule and the adverse impact that it will have on individual water users" and that they "did not rely on the best available science".

Publications and conferences

To broaden distribution of information on water and related subjects, AWWA publishes the periodicals ''Journal AWWA'' and ''Opflow.'' AWWA also publishes a variety of books, training manuals, standards, reports and videos for use by water professionals and others. The Association also hosts an annual

conference A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always d ...

and exposition for the entire organization each summer in North America. Section conferences are also held in all parts of North America. Specialty conferences are held throughout the year on topics including water quality, distribution systems and utility management. Proceedings of the annual and specialty conferences are published by AWWA. In cooperation with other professional associations, AWWA is a resource for water professionals’ continuing education and development.

Water industry resources

Through the Partnership for Safe Water, AWWA also works with the

and other water organizations to help water providers optimize system performance beyond existing regulatory levels.

Sections

AWWA is an umbrella organization for 43 sections, each of whom represents a specific geographic region. There are 37 AWWA sections in the United States, 5 Canadian sections, and one each in Mexico and Puerto Rico. AWWA launched AWWAIndia, its first international community, in 2015. AWWAIndia's headquarters office is located in Mumbai, India.

References

External links

*
History of AWWA

History of Drinking Water in U.S. and the Story of AWWA (video)

Drinking Water Week

DrinkTap.org
{{Authority control Professional associations based in the United States Environmental management-related professional associations Environmental engineering Hydraulic engineering Water supply and sanitation in the United States