NOWRA and the Water Environment Federation have announced a three-year agreement to collaborate closely and promote a shared vision of an integrated and holistic approach to water, stormwater, and wastewater management. The agreement takes effect on Feb. 1.
At present, one-fourth of the U.S. population and one-third of all new residential and commercial development use decentralized systems for wastewater treatment. Although the water and wastewater sector is heavily segmented, there is a growing consensus that water and wastewater management strategies must be integrated and various approaches considered to meet the evolving needs of the public and address emerging environmental challenges.
WEF and NOWRA leaders have agreed that a strategic partnership can put the resources of both organizations to work to advance their mutual goals and interests.
As part of the agreement, NOWRA staff and offices will relocate to WEF headquarters in Alexandria, Va., in the coming weeks. “WEF has offered NOWRA an office in the Washington, D.C., area and a chance to combine forces to share our knowledge of decentralized systems and the onsite wastewater treatment profession with their experience as a global organization,” says NOWRA president Tom Groves.
“After investigating options, the NOWRA board decided that WEF provides us with the most viable option for partnership. The Washington location allows us to be more responsive to and involved in legislative actions related to the field.”
Groves also believes this partnership will call attention to the importance of decentralized approaches in solving wastewater treatment problems where traditional sewerage is challenging.
“We are excited about the opportunity to increase awareness and promote our sector to state and federal institutions as well as the engineering community, who are less familiar with the range of institutional and technical options our members offer to help sustain North America’s wastewater infrastructure,” says Groves. WEF and NOWRA will partner on several key initiatives, including:
Expanding knowledge sharing and training in common areas.
Promoting existing technologies and new applications for onsite and natural treatment systems.
Educating the public on proper use and benefits of onsite and natural system technologies
Promoting consistent regulation for effective management and oversight.
Specifically, they will explore collaboration on educational events, increased content and options for distance learning, and joint publications, and will offer more varied perspectives about water quality issues to their members.
In addition, WEF and NOWRA will work closely to share association management resources to help direct emphasis to mission-critical activities.
WEF president Paul Freedman states, “WEF has been the go-to source of information for centralized wastewater treatment training and education, and NOWRA is the leader for decentralized approaches. While these two approaches haven’t been easily reconciled in the past, the new partnership demonstrates both organizations’ interest in collaboration with a view toward a common goal of a cleaner global water environment.”
For more information about WEF and NOWRA, visit www.wef.org and www.nowra.org.
