The National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) and a nationwide coalition of clean water agencies and utilities has released findings from its new Environmental Justice Compendium (EJ Compendium) entitled, Opportunities for Municipal Clean Water Utilities to Advance Environmental Justice and Community Service.
Officials from clean water agencies across the United States shared local community projects they’ve been implementing that address specific Environmental Justice needs.
The EJ Compendium contains stories of active community clean water projects, representing efforts by water treatment agencies — serving tens of millions of clean water consumers who use billions of gallons of water — to reach beyond the traditional model of simply moving and treating water, to becoming true partners with their communities in both improving water delivery/usage and directly addressing specific environmental justice issues.
The Compendium is comprised of project case studies and various other clean initiatives undertaken by 14 utilities across the United States of various size, location, challenges and demographics. The participating utilities are:
- Alexandria Renew Enterprises, Alexandria, Va.
- Avon Lake Regional Water, Avon Lake, Ohio
- Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority, Camden, N.J.
- Capital Region Water, Harrisburg, Pa.
- City of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation, Los Angeles, Calif.
- District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority, Washington, D.C.
- Louisville and Jefferson County Metropolitan Sewer District, Louisville, Ky.
- Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, St. Louis, Mo.
- Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, Milwaukee, Wis.
- New York City Department of Environmental Protection, New York, N.Y.
- Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, Cleveland, Ohio
- Philadelphia Water Department, Philadelphia, Pa.
- San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, San Francisco, Calif.
- Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans, New Orleans, La.
The case studies provide real-life examples of how municipal clean water utilities are adapting their role in their communities to balance operational needs and responsibilities with a desire to mitigate local burdens and create tangible community enhancements where possible and appropriate. The case studies are intended to present a wide range of environmental justice and community benefit efforts.
LINK: The Environmental Justice Compendium is Available for Download
On a press conference call, officials discussed highlights from the successful projects that make up the EJ Compendium, the large-scale environmental impacts that result, and most importantly, the ways in which these projects can be replicated among communities and water utilities across the country. According to NACWA, the purpose of the Compendium is to promote the success of these projects as having a profound, positive impact on the environment and the climate.
For more information on the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, visit nacwa.org.
