Water Resources Management

On behalf of the Members of the Water Resources Management Committee, welcome to our webpage. The committee is comprised of APWA members with far-reaching backgrounds in most if not all aspects of water, watershed management, and wastewater and stormwater management who volunteer their time to further the advancement of educational opportunities and to formulate and advance regulatory and legislative positions on behalf of the more than 28,500 APWA Members.

A primary goal of the committee is to add value to APWA membership through addressing the needs of the member professionals by providing timely professional training opportunities, interesting articles in the “Reporter”, certifications such as the Certified Stormwater Manager program, and ensuring that there are many relevant, professionally developed and appealing water related educational sessions at the APWA International Congress.

As is true overall in the field of water, the work of the Water Resources Management Committee is multi-faceted. We serve as a strong advocate for water issues by providing owner/operator point- of- view comments on legislative initiatives and regulatory rule actions, providing technical expert testimony when requested, and collaborating with APWA staff to ensure that the voice of our members is amplified on issues affecting the industry. The committee encourages professional development and education by presenting the annual Stormwater Summit at the APWA International Congress, promoting Professional Certification Programs such as the previously mentioned Certified Stormwater Manager and reviewing new training materials and Click, Listen and Learn programs offered by the organization to name just a few.

Since 2008, under the leadership of then Chairman Joe Superneau, a major committee initiative has been to expand its collective reach by welcoming Chapter representatives to participate in national issue discussions at Congress. These extensive collaborations center on areas of legislative and regulatory actions that influence the various professional disciplines impacting the wide ranging discipline of water. These sessions have resulted in fruitful, energetic discussions for all who have participated.

To further this goal, the committee is proud to have been the first APWA technical committee to have taken the “show on the road” as we held our spring meeting in conjunction with the various Chapter events.  To date we have held meetings with both the Texas and Sacramento Chapters. These opportunities have proven to be extremely energizing experiences for committee members and Chapter membership and we are proud to see that other technical committees have followed suit by scheduling their semi-annual in- person meetings with chapter events..

Two years ago under the chairmanship of Keith Duncan, we partnered with other national water organizations to develop the “Core Attributes” manual which is the first of its kind guide detailing proper and accepted practices for the safe operations of sanitary sewer collections systems. The free guide can be downloaded here.

A goal for this year’s committee is to continue our close working relationship with the APWA Center for Sustainability and to be an active and contributing voice for water in the areas of use, reuse, conservation, and energy consumption in treatment processes, to provide adequate supply at minimal cost. This will lead to advances in the sustainability of healthy watersheds, benefitting the planet as a whole and the quality of life for future generations to come.

As has been chronicled by Past President George Crombie, many challenges lie ahead; as the population grows, the demand for precious water increases, and our responsibilities as public works professionals become more complex. We must work collectively to address the future challenges by providing leadership in the protection and use of life’s most precious resource, WATER.

We invite you to participate in the activities and actions of the Water Resources Management Committee and your local chapter’s water committee. We encourage APWA members to take part in activities such as InfoNow Communities, conference educational sessions and Click, Listen and Learn programs. We also encourage member attendance at our in-person meeting next year at Congress in Anaheim.  As the community demands of the Public Works Professional expands and evolves never has the need for additional training been more important and there is no better place to gain the tools needed in your everyday professional life than by attending the annual International Congress and taking advantage of the educational opportunities offered through APWA from the comfort of your office

Should you have a question or wish to weigh-in on a particular issue of concern, we encourage you to contact a committee member, and to use this forum as a resource that adds unsurpassed value to your APWA membership.