On March 22, World Water Day, the White House held a Water Summit to raise awareness of water issues and potential solutions in the U.S., and to catalyze ideas, innovations and actions to help ensure a secure and sustainable water future. AMWA attended the event, which included discussions on topics of water infrastructure finance, water science, resilience, watershed management and the importance of agriculture and well-managed forests in sustaining water supplies for all users.
The White House also released a document recognizing commitments by institutions and organizations toward a sustainable water future. AMWA was included for its role working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on the Water Resources Dashboard and its involvement in developing updates to the Attributes of Effective Utility Management (EUM) and Keys to Management Success framework. In a press release, AMWA CEO Diane VanDe Hei said, "EUM is the gold standard for water utility management. AMWA is committed to promoting nationwide adoption of the new EUM and updating our awards program based on the revised framework to help ensure our members are managing their water systems on the cutting edge of technology and innovation to reliably provide safe, clean water to customers across the country."
Several AMWA members were also highlighted in the White House announcement, including Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility, Central Arizona Project, DC Water, Denver Water, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Sonoma County Water Agency and Southern Nevada Water District.