Publications
As part of our mission to support and accelerate innovative One Water management strategies, educate and inspire people about the value of water, and celebrate leadership in sustainable water management, the US Water Alliance has issued the following publications.
March 2023—This report highlights the importance of leveraging digital solutions and water management strategies to advance water equity and ensure safe, reliable water services for small and rural communities that are on the verge of losing water access.
January 2023—This report reveals a cost-based approach to pricing water, representing an opportunity to achieve greater equity by reducing water bills for most low-income households while preserving revenue and improving financial resilience for water utilities.
October 2022—This groundbreaking report is the culmination of more than 18 months of convenings across eight US cities to understand the policy, practice, and impact of shutting off individual access to water due to the inability to pay water bills.
July 2022—Through our Water, Arts, and Culture Accelerator, this inspiring report shares the approaches of four utility and artist partnerships, the transformations that occurred, the outcomes achieved, and considerations for future partnerships.
April 2022—As part of our Recovering Stronger initiative, this paper outlines what is needed from federal, state, and local leaders to ensure that water is viewed and treated as a public good and made available and accessible for all.
March 2022—This report details the US water sector’s essential role in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and is the culmination of a six-month collaborative process in which a 40+ representative Imagination Team engaged in dialogues and strategic movement building around climate action.
February 2022—Based on an in-depth stakeholder process as part of the Alliance’s Recovering Stronger initiative, the report examines strategies, tactics, and resources for community-driven consolidations and partnerships in the state of California. Though focused on California, this report reveals lessons and ideas that can spark similar dialogues and progress in communities across the nation.
November 2021—Members of the Atlanta Water Equity Taskforce team released their roadmap for a more equitable and inclusive water future for the city of Atlanta. This roadmap focuses on transformative opportunities for policies and practices actions in four areas of work: equitable decision-making, affordability, workforce development, and climate resilience.
July 2021—This fact sheet highlights promising strategies utilities across the nation are implementing to address customer debt, which has escalated due to the COVID-19 pandemic and widespread unemployment.
June 2021—This report from the US Water Alliance features the lessons and achievements from Atlanta, Buffalo, Camden, Cleveland, Louisville, Milwaukee, and Pittsburgh—the seven cities that make up the Water Equity Taskforce—surrounding the building of cross-sector partnerships and using a collaborative approach to achieve greater water equity.
June 2021—The US Water Alliance, Louisville Water, and Louisville MSD released this case study, which highlights how Louisville's water utilities are providing new, smarter solutions to water bill assistance.
March 2021—Members of the Pittsburgh Equity Taskforce released their roadmap for a more equitable and inclusive water future for the city of Pittsburgh, focusing on building a shared understanding of the challenges, opportunities, and priorities for action to secure an equitable water future for all Pittsburgh residents.
February 2021—The Alliance is proud to announce the publication of a Federal Policy Blueprint for federal policymakers to help the water sector recover stronger from the pandemic. The blueprint showcases the water sector’s best legislative, regulatory, and administrative policy ideas to inform and shape early policy conversations and help policymakers understand where they specifically might be able to effect change.
This high-level view of the US Water Alliance's program priorities for 2021 was created in collaboration with our dynamic member network. Each priority will advance the Alliance's Three-Year Strategic Framework and will respond to urgent needs arising in the network due to the global pandemic and economic recession.
August 2020—A hidden network of pipes and pumps ensure water flows through homes and businesses, but people often take these critical systems for granted. This month, our organizations, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the Value of Water Campaign (VOW), partnered on a new economic report that quantifies water infrastructure investment and what happens when the nation fails to invest. With the research firm EBP, we sought to understand two contrasting futures: a future where we meet our water infrastructure needs and a future where we allow water infrastructure investment to fall further and further behind.
August 2020—Members of the Milwaukee Equity Taskforce released their roadmap for a more equitable and inclusive water future for the great city of Milwaukee, focusing on expanding workforce opportunities to communities that have historically been excluded from the water workforce.
July 2020—A new report by the US Water Alliance details five priority actions that water professionals and communities can take together to advance equitable flood resilience. It discusses urban flooding challenges, strategies to address disproportionate impacts of flooding on vulnerable communities, and case examples from around the United States.
June 2020—A joint publication by the US Water Alliance and Water Foundation that investigates drinking water challenges facing different regions across the US and the ways in which stakeholders are driving solutions. It lifts up successes and recognizes the continued struggle of some communities that remain without equal access to drinking water, and highlights the work of community organizers, nonprofit leaders, public officials, utility managers, and funders who are leading the way to drive state and tribal policy change that promotes safe, affordable, and reliable drinking water.
April 2020—During this moment of crisis, we offer four principles that knit together enduring water issues critical at this time: who has access to it, who manages it, how it is paid for, and how all communities are kept safe and healthy. We see both challenges and solutions worthy of our collective attention right now. Endorse the principles by adding your name here.
February 2020—This roadmap was developed by the Cleveland Water Equity Team to build shared understanding of the challenges, opportunities, and priorities for action to secure an equitable water future for all Cleveland residents.
February 2020—Developed in collaboration with the US Water Alliance’s staff, Board of Directors, One Water Council, key allies, and incredible partners, this Three-Year Strategic Framework is our North Star. It outlines the fundamentals that will guide us for the next three years.
January 2020—In this report, we look beyond the innovative efforts and projects to detail the who and the how of One Water. We explore what makes One Water change leaders tick. We put forth a framework with six essential capacities that enable current and future leaders to successfully drive One Water projects and programs.
December 2019—One Water Summit 2019's collected committments to action from the 44 One Water Delegations in attendance.
November 2019—In partnership with DigDeep, this report presents an analysis of the water and sanitation access challenge in the United States, leveraging both quantitative and qualitative research. It proposes a plan of action to ensure equitable water access in our lifetimes, highlighting opportunities for action by the water sector, government agencies, philanthropy, nonprofits, and the public. Finally, it showcases the promising approaches communities have developed to ensure that their residents can turn on the tap or flush the toilet without a second thought.
September 2019—This roadmap was developed by the Camden Water Equity Team to build shared understanding of the challenges, opportunities, and priorities for action to secure an equitable water future for all Camden residents.
June 2019—This document was developed by the Louisville Water Equity Taskforce to highlight unique challenges faced by vulnerable populations, focus on the intentional creation of training and career opportunities, and explore ways to ensure benefits gained by Louisville's community are accessible and shared by all.
April 2019—Read about the National Blue Ribbon Commission's highlights and accomplishments, including publications, research accomplishments, policy impacts, and more.
April 2019—This document was developed by the Buffalo Water Equity Taskforce to outline challenges, promising practices, and priority actions for Buffalo's water.
April 2019—Toolkit for new and returning state legislators and governors' staff.
April 2019—Share this resource to demonstrate broad bipartisan support for investing in water infrastructure.
April 2019—New 2019 poll shows Americans support investing in water infrastructure, and they want a proactive program of reinvestment rather than waiting for these critical systems to fail.
Februrary 2019—A synthesis of the financial implications of consolidating water utilities based on the experience of eight communities.
February 2019—This report focuses on the role of utility consolidation in advancing sustainable water management in the United States.
February 2019—Participants in the US Water Alliance’s leadership dialogue, Utility Strengthening Through Consolidation, call on all water sector partners to reduce barriers to consolidation and promote utility consolidation. Towards that end, this report offers a set of principles to guide future efforts:
January 2019—This report summarizes the progress made by the Value of Water through its three-year strategy.
June 2018—Read our analysis and case studies on strategies to use art and culture to advance sustainable, integrated, and inclusive management of our nation's water resources.
March 2018—The National Blue Ribbon Commission developed this report to help water and wastewater utilities, local government agencies, and other interested stakeholders understand the benefits and drivers behind onsite non-potable reuse, how other utilities have addressed potential challenges, and best practices for the ongoing operation of these systems.
March 2018—As a place that is rich in water resources, and has been ground zero for serious water crises, the Great Lakes region exemplifies the challenges and opportunities inherent in our water systems. It is also home to inspiring leaders in the movement for social and economic equity. This report highlights the strategies being developed in the Great Lakes to ensure that our water systems provide services and opportunity to all people, and creates a shared vision for the region’s future.
January 2018–2017 was a great year for the US Water Alliance. We moved several strategic initiatives forward, including work on equity in water, nutrient reduction, and our One Water For America Listening Sessions. More than 650 people joined us in New Orleans for our One Water Summit, and we announced our One Water Summit 2018 will be in the Twin Cities. The Value of Water Campaign continued its success in educating the nation about why water infrastructure is worthy of investment, and we had more than 750 organizations join our Imagine a Day Without Water advocacy day. Much is on tap for 2018, and we look forward to making it the year of water!
December 2017—Executive Summary of the One Water for America Policy Framework—a seven-part series of policy briefs that pair issue discussions with innovative and groundbreaking solutions developed from nearly 500 people at 15 different listening sessions.
December 2017—This guidebook establishes water quality criteria and standards for ONWS and presents pathways for implementation and managment of these water systems at the local and/or state level.
October 2017—Nutrient pollution is a complex and massive problem for our nation’s waters. To forge large-scale progress on nutrient pollution, we are going to need a new approach that is more strategic and holistic in its structure and execution. This policy brief was developed by the US Water Alliance, the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, and the Water Environment Federation.
June 2017—This report presents a water equity framework, drawing on the wisdom and innovation of hundreds of leaders from across the public, nonprofit, and private sectors.
March 2017—Report on the economic benefits of investing in water infrastructure finds that if we close the investment gap for water infrastructure, there is a ripple effect of sustained job creation, GDP growth, and more.
January 2017—It’s been a remarkable year for the US Water Alliance. Guided by a restructured board of directors and new Chief Executive Officer, the organization has developed a threeyear strategy and aligned its programming around that vision. A surge in new members and financial supporters— coupled with new staff with diverse backgrounds and expertise—has enabled us to expand our capacity to take on projects that address the most critical water issues facing the nation. We are furthering our reach and impact, bringing new stakeholders to the One Water table, and building strong partnerships for progress. We hope you enjoy reviewing our 2016 Annual Report as much as we’ve enjoyed our One Water movement building this past year.
Cheers to an even greater 2017!
December 2016—The One Water Roadmap: The Sustainable Management of Life's Most Essential Resource is a guide to changing the way water is managed in America. The roadmap outlines a bold approach for tackling our biggest water challenges. The roadmap outlines six arenas for action where we are making progress: Reliable and Resilent Utilities, Thriving Cities, Competitive Business and Industry, Sustainable Agricultural Systems, Social and Economic Inclusions, and Healthy Waterways.
December 2016—Executive Summary of the One Water Roadmap: The Sustainable Management of Life's Most Essential Resource.
May 2015—Issued during Infrastructure Week 2015, this paper by the Value of Water Coalition spotlights innovative solutions to the nation’s growing water challenges through capital investments, technological innovations, creative financing tools, and cross-sector partnerships.
2015—This paper identifies successful practices and models for successful municipal-agricultural collaborations that improve watershed health through case studies that focus on solving nutrient over-enrichment in our waterways and groundwater.
December 2014—With support from the McKnight Foundation, The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread, and Meridian Institute, hosted the Mississippi River Nutrient Dialogues, the US Water Alliance convened a series of conversations with water and wastewater utilities, agriculture leaders, environmental organizations and state/federal officials to how to reduce excess nutrients in waterways.
March 2013—In a world of increasing competition for scarce resources (including water, energy, and food) our future will depend increasingly on recycling and recovery of key resources. This guiding document uses our one water values to endorse policies, strategies, and regulation to advance resource recovery.
November 2012—Stormwater regulatory reform has the potential to prevent a major growing source of pollution in our nation’s waters. In alignment with the US Water Alliance’s one water vision, this statement of principles supports green infrastructure approaches.
November 2011—Informed by green infrastructure research and education programs of the Alliance, this paper provides recommendations developed with partner organizations including American Rivers, The Conservation Fund, Low Impact Development Center, and Smart Growth America.
February 2011—The US Water Alliance’s Water Sustainability Principles for a National Policy Framework, developed through several national dialogues, outlines a flexible framework to inspire visionary one water sustainability thinking and influence innovative, integrated and sustainable water policy.
September 2010—The report summarizes the National Dialogue held by the US Water Alliance in Los Angeles, CA on September 27-28, 2010. The Dialogue focused on best practices, barriers and solutions for better integrating a one water management.
March 2010—The report summarizes the national dialogue held in Washington, DC on March 25-26, 2010. The dialogue focused on how water is valued in various industries in the United States, including energy, agricultural, ecological, municipal, and industrial.
September 2009—In September 2009, the Alliance hosted its first national dialogue which brought together nearly 30 leaders in the water community to discuss one water sustainability. This report summarizes the discussion on increasing challenges to adequate supplies of clean and safe water that meet the demands of energy production, agricultural expansion, and population growth.