You may have read that more than 140 water sector leaders from around the United States recently gathered in Washington, D.C., for meetings with members of Congress as part of the American Water Works Association’s Water Matters! Fly-In. 

An annual event for more than 20 years, the Fly-In is an opportunity for AWWA and its members to get valuable face-to-face time with their respective state’s representatives to discuss national and local water issues.

Among the topics discussed this year were:

• “Polluter Pays” principle in cleaning up per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
  • Requiring those responsible for PFAS contamination to pay for the clean-up allows water systems to not pass this cost along to their customers.
• Building cybersecurity resilience in the water sector
  • Unfortunately, cybersecurity has become a necessary reality in our current times. Making cybersecurity and related training an affordable, accessible and required option for water systems of all sizes protects all water consumers in the long run.
• Supporting source water protection by renewing the 2023 Farm Bill
  • The 2018 Farm Bill played a valuable role in improving our nation’s source water protection by funding federal programs and projects that protect source water, making the treatment process cheaper and easier while preserving high-quality drinking water.
• Investing in the nation’s water infrastructure
  • Aging water infrastructure across the United States needs to either be maintained or replaced, which is an expensive endeavor. Funding programs such as the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) provide valuable loans and grants to projects that improve our nation’s water infrastructure.

Water systems work hard to maintain affordability for their customers while continuing to produce high-quality, great tasting water for their service areas.