Resources for Beginning a Partnership

Resources from Water System Partnerships Meeting and Workgroup

Water System Partnerships Meeting

On January 31, 2017, in Washington, D.C, the EPA Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water hosted a day-long meeting focused on water system partnerships, including promoting partnership activities and creating incentives for and reducing challenges to their development.  It is part of a collaborative vision to establish a framework to support partnership activities on a national and local level.

The working meeting focused on three key theme areas: incentives and drivers to support water system partnership development, financing options for partnerships, and outreach and education.  Participants included federal agencies, state and local governments, utilities, associations, private sector and non-profits.

Find a complete meeting summary here:  Water System Partnerships Meeting Summary (pdf)

Webinar Series from Water System Partnerships Workgroup

The following webinars were developed by the Water System Partnership Workgroup; a group comprised of EPA, states, technical assistance providers, and other federal partners, with the goal of identifying best practices to promote water system partnerships.  Click on the links below to view the webinar presentations.

• Partnering Over Time: Vinton County Water Joins Jackson County Water (pdf)
  Featuring the partnership between two water systems in Ohio, and how the nature of their partnership evolved from informal cooperation to interconnection.
• Communicating to Gain and Maintain Buy-in: The Logan Todd Regional Water Commission (pdf)
  Featuring a regional water commission formed by 12 water systems that each kept their own identities.
• Facilitating Partnerships: State and Funder Perspectives (pdf)
  Featuring Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, Washington Department of Health and USDA Mississippi State Office discussing ways they encourage partnerships.
• Troubleshooting the Partnership Process (pdf)
  Featuring representatives from two water system partnerships in New Mexico, the Lower Rio Grande Public Water Works Authority and El Valle Water Alliance, discussing different aspects of the water system partnering process. Other panelists include USDA New Mexico State Office, New Mexico Finance Authority, New Mexico Environment Department Drinking Water Bureau, New Mexico Office of State Engineer and the Rural Community Assistance Corporation.