WaterNow Alliance

Only 8 weeks left to apply for Bureau of Reclamation's Small-Scale Water Efficiency Projects! Your community can receive up to $125,000 for small-scale, on-the-ground water management projects that seek to conserve, better manage, or otherwise make more efficient use of water supplies. The deadline to submit applications is January 14, 2025. Not enough time to apply? There is another application deadline on July 8, 2025.?? ? Calling Colorado communities! WaterNow can help get your application over the finish line! Check out our WaterSMART Grant Application Support & Help Desk here: bit.ly/3ZxU9oS and fill out our short form to access free application support here: bit.ly/469K9EV? ? #Water #Efficiency #FederalFunding #Colorado?

Today is #WorldToiletDay, a United Nations observance designed to inspire action on the global sanitation crisis. Did you know that 3.5 billion people worldwide lack access to safely managed sanitation? In the U.S. alone, over 1 million households face barriers to safe sanitation due to factors like a lack of indoor plumbing, malfunctioning on-site wastewater systems, and affordability challenges. Communities are addressing these issues through innovative programs that provide financial assistance for septic system repairs, replace outdated toilets with high-efficiency models in income-qualified households, and more. In addition to cutting costs for customers, programs like these also keep local streams, lakes, and waterways clean, protect public health, and conserve water. Want to learn more about resources for communities working toward safe sanitation for all? Read more at: https://lnkd.in/gB2nUGWD #SafeSanitation

Check out this in-depth case study on American Water Works Association and WaterNow's Transformative Water Leadership program! We're grateful for EPA's support of this skill building initiative and are excited to continue with our next cohort in 2025.

WaterNow is excited to attend the 2024 NLC City Summit this week! If you'll be in Tampa, we hope you'll join us for an exciting panel discussion on new U.S. EPA regulations for drinking water. This workshop will cover new requirements regarding PFAS and lead pipes. Come learn what is being asked of cities, towns and villages; how to pay for the upgrades and capital improvements needed to reach and maintain compliance; and learn from municipalities that have had success navigating these complex issues. ?? Get Current with New Drinking Water Regulations ?? Friday, November 15 | ? 3:00 PM The panel will include: ? Anne Burt, Mayor of Woodbury ? Heather Collins, Assistant Chief of Operations, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and President-Elect, American Water Works Association ? Leon Rockingham, Mayor of the City of North Chicago ? Eric West, Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, HomeServe USA ? Amy Weinfurter, Director of Strategic Projects, WaterNow Alliance We hope to see you there! #NLC100

Join us TOMORROW for our next Water Webinar Wednesday! Register now to learn about finding the right funding or financing option for your sustainable water projects. This webinar will feature U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s WaterSMART grant program as a way to kick-start water conservation projects, Colorado’s State Revolving Fund program as a key pathway to larger-scale investments in sustainable projects, and U.S. EPA’s Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loans as flexible financing for communities’ largest investments in sustainable infrastructure.? Register here! https://lnkd.in/gePh7NyJ?

The City of Charlottesville has announced an exciting expansion of its Toilet Rebate Program, building on the 787 million gallons of water this initiative has already saved! We're proud that Amy Weinfurter and Emerson O'Donnell could support this impactful work through WaterNow's #ProjectAccelerator. Discover more about Charlottesville's efforts and learn about how communities nationwide are advancing water efficiency in the Project Accelerator Library, at: https://lnkd.in/gCtUN8b7.

This week US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development partnered to raise awareness about the harmful impacts of lead exposure and lead poisoning for National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week. Closing out the week’s efforts to get the facts about lead exposure and encourage folks to get their homes tested, today we highlight actions to prevent lead exposure. Because there is no known safe level of lead exposure, earlier this month EPA published the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements. The revised rule requires most drinking water utilities to identify and replace lead pipes within 10 years—including lead pipes that are on private property. In line with recommendations from 84 local decision-makers and water managers from the WaterNow Alliance and National League of Cities’ network, EPA’s final rule makes it clear that privately owned lead lines are part of the drinking water system and need to be removed under the revised rule. Drinking water utilities cannot do this on their own, however. Homeowners, community groups, and their drinking water providers will need to build trust and work together so that water managers have access to the private-side pipes to replace them with safe alternatives. Denver Water’s Lead Reduction Program provides an inspiring example—by using long-term bond financing to pay for all lead service line replacements at no additional cost to its ratepayers. Denver Water accelerated the pace of its program and prioritized its most vulnerable customers. Replacing all lead pipes on public and private property is an essential step we can take to prevent lead exposure. Read more about best practices for building trust at WaterNow’s Tap into Resilience Toolkit module: Best Practices for Building Trusting Partnerships to help get the lead out! https://lnkd.in/gVnc8Jzp

Calling Colorado communities: applications for Growing Water Smart Metrics support are due next Thursday, 10/31 by 5pm MT. If your organization has an interest in better quantifying and tracking the integration of water and land use planning, we encourage you to apply! Selected participants will receive 12 months of custom assistance (up to 150 hours) from Sonoran Institute and Brendle Group to calculate one or more metrics from the Growing Water Smart Metrics guidebook. Examples of technical assistance include stakeholder engagement, water and/or land use data collection and analysis, policy research, and process development to support data-driven decisions. To learn more and apply:?https://lnkd.in/d2grPbp #Colorado #Water #TA #TechnicalAssistance

Are you a municipal, utility, or community leader in the Intermountain West looking to leverage federal and state programs to invest in sustainable, equitable, and climate resilient solutions, but you’re not sure where to start? Join us for a webinar on November 6, 2024 to learn about finding the right funding or financing option for your sustainable water projects and get all your questions answered! We’ll be hearing from the follow experts:? ?Dallas Shattuck, Senior Program Manager, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, WIFIA program? ?Desi Santerre, Water and Wastewater Program Manager, Colorado Department of Local Affairs? ?Lucia Schurr, PE, Program Analyst, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation? ?Drew Manning, Program Analyst, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation? ?Victoria Arling, Colorado Basin Program Director, WaterNow? ?Caroline Koch, Water Policy Director, WaterNow (moderator) Register today! https://lnkd.in/gePh7NyJ?

Are you a Colorado community looking for support on projects that result in quantifiable and sustained water savings, implement renewable energy components, and support broader sustainability benefits??? ? The Bureau of Reclamation's WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency Grants (#WEEG) may be a good fit for you! This program offers up to $5 million for projects that can be completed in 3 years with a 50% non-federal cost share match. Applications are due November 13, 2024.? ? Need help getting your project over the finish line? Fill out our short form to access free application support and we’ll be in touch: bit.ly/469K9EV. #Water #Efficiency #FederalFunding #Colorado?