Communicating the Value of Utility Membership

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1 Communicating the Value of Utility Membership Presented by: John Donahue, President Elect Susan Franceschi, Chief Membership Officer and Greg Kail, Director of Communications

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4 What have we done for utilities lately?

5 Top Utility Concerns State of water and sewer infrastructure Lack of public understanding of the value of water Regulation and government oversight Capital costs and availability Aging workforce/talent attraction and retention

6 Water Policy Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Authority (WIFIA) AWWA formed a partnership with AMWA, WEF, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors and League of Cities to support the advancement of legislation that would provide low-cost loans for projects too big for the state revolving loan program to finance. SRFs cannot fund projects costing more than $20 million and are prioritized to projects where there is the most immediate threat to public health. Projects for renewing infrastructure are pushed toward the bottom of the list. SRF loans cannot be used to accommodate growth. WIFIA is a part of the House-Senate deliberations for inclusion in a final water resources development bill. When passed this will provide a new funding source for large projects.

7 Water Policy Fire Hydrant Legislation How many hydrants do you have in stock? AWWA led a coalition to oppose EPA s decision, working both within the EPA process and on the Hill to educate federal decision makers. Working within the EPA rulemaking process, AWWA developed a compelling datadriven story that including fire hydrants would be enormously while offering little if any health benefits. On the Hill, AWWA lead efforts that resulted in the swift passage of legislation to block the inclusion of hydrants. Our bill passed overwhelmingly in both chambers and was signed by the President just before Christmas. No individual lobbyist could have done this. It took a coalition of utilities, manufacturers, and other groups, organized and led by AWWA, to accomplish this win for utilities.

8 eccr AWWA kept the pressure on EPA and Congress to make electronic CCRs acceptable under the SDWA. This cost-saving delivery method is available to your utility today due to AWWA efforts. Upper management in EPA s water office repeatedly cite AWWA s eccr manual as a great guidance document for the eccr. Water Policy

9 Water Policy Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule Revised Total Coliform Rule Cyber Security Lead and Copper Rule

10 The AWWA Utility Small Water Systems Water Suppliers Wastewater Systems Water Wholesalers Contract Operations Firm

11 AWWA Utilities Size & Impact Grade Size Total ,000 Connections 2, ,001-10,000 Connections ,001-25,000 Connections ,001-50,000 Connections , ,000 Connections , ,000 Connections ,000+ Connections International Utility 8 Approximately $12 Million in Revenue As of December 31, 2013

12 What do AWWA Utility Members Value about the Associaiton? AWWA Standards Legislative and regulatory alerts Information and resources provided by AWWA Ability to stay current with industry news and information Sharing of information and best practices Attending conferences and educational events

13 What do AWWA Utility Members Value about Sections? CEUs/PDHs Staying current with local industry news and information Local/regional networking and knowledge sharing Educational opportunities for employees especially the Section training (Small and Medium) Section Conferences

14 Utility Benefits Utilities join to: Learn about issues before they become full-blown crises. Get AWWA Standards. Improve day-to-day operations. Provide professional development opportunities to staff. Stand with the water community to influence government regulations and legislation. Features of membership for utilities are: Standards Alerts and Advisories Water Utility Insider Special Reports & Tools Safety Talks Buried No Longer Buried No Longer Pipe Replacement Modeling Tool Fracking Report Utility Webinar Briefings Government and Public Affairs Assistance Discounts for all employees

15 Valued Benefits AWWA Standards Utilities are awarded points based on size to spend on: Standards Members

16 Valued Benefits Alerts and Advisories

17 Water Utility Insider Valued Benefits

18 Place for Your Utility Name/Logo/ Web Address Only Tap Water Delivers

19 Value Reports & Tools

20 Buried No Longer Pipe Replacement Modeling Tool

21 Valued Reports Water and Hydraulic Fracturing White Paper

22 Best of the Best Taste Contest Opportunity for positive press Expanded event at ACE in Denver 20+ Section winners last year

23 Added Utility Value WUC Water Matters Legislative Fly-In Affordability Workbook Electronic CCR Guidance Lead Service Line Communications Drinktap.org Drinking Water Week Materials

24 Steps to Success Understand the elements of utility membership Use the AWWA membership group as a resource Learn about the utility you are targeting Plan for the visit with appropriate tools, leave behinds Follow-up

25 Conversation Starters What are ways you can begin a conversation with a non-member utility about becoming an AWWA member?

26 Questions? Thank you!