NACWA & Moonshot Missions Release 'Governance Options, And Opportunities, For Public Clean Water Agencies In A COVID-19 World'

Whitepaper provides an in-depth analysis and recommendations looking to the future governance of public clean water utilities

The National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) and Moonshot Missions today released a comprehensive white paper to help clean water utilities evaluate various governance alternatives in response to the challenges caused or augmented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a spotlight on both the extraordinary efforts of water professionals in providing essential services, while also amplifying the significant financial challenges faced by the public clean water agencies they serve so well,” said NACWA Chief Executive Officer Adam Krantz. “These circumstances place even more of a need to seek efficiencies, including a careful look at partnerships, consolidated services and other governance models.”

Due to the loss of revenue and other costs associated with the pandemic, many public clean water utilities and their communities need to find ways to improve efficiency, reduce costs and increase revenue. In addition to internal efficiency improvements, utilities can also consider external partnerships, shared service arrangements, public-private funding partnerships and other governance options. This document provides a “road map” on these options and how to navigate the best choice for a particular utility.

NACWA releases this road map so that each utility facing its unique challenges can determine their own path regarding the best way to meet these challenges on behalf of their ratepayers. The document provides a high-level roadmap to increase utilities’ analysis of some governance options available to them and provides a tool to empower them to make better informed choices.

“As the former board member and general manager of DC Water for over a decade, I understand the financial and operational stress felt by public clean water agencies even before the pandemic, and now amplified. Yet I am also equally confident that these same public agencies can and are adopting steps that can reduce costs, gain new revenue and improve performance,” said Moonshot Missions Founder and President, George Hawkins. “It was my honor to work with NACWA along with my Moonshot colleagues on the research and writing of this report. We as a community are going to have to double down on our efforts to ensure clean and safe water for every person, with a keen eye on those in underserved communities who are bearing the full brunt of the pandemic often with limited resources to respond.”

Decades of decreased and insufficient funding for water infrastructure has resulted in decaying infrastructure. The lack of sufficient investment along with the increase in costs due to deferred maintenance is putting increased pressure on the finances of public clean water utilities. Most troubling is the rippling impacts to underserved communities and rural areas as access to water is threatened by lost revenue and staffing shortages.

The COVID-19 pandemic intensified these threats as well as amplified the exposure of the utility’s courageous water professionals, essential front-line personnel, as they commit their lives to ensure water continues to flow throughout the country.

In May of 2020, NACWA entered a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Moonshot Missions to look for opportunities for partnership and collaboration. NACWA turned to Moonshot Missions to develop a white paper along with the NACWA team that would analyze the public clean water utility challenges and specifically the opportunities for revising current governance structures.

About NACWA
For nearly 50 years, the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) has been the nation’s recognized leader in legislative, regulatory, legal and communications advocacy on the full spectrum of clean water issues. NACWA represents public wastewater and stormwater agencies of all sizes nationwide. Our unique and growing network strengthens the advocacy voice for the public clean water sector and helps advance policies to provide affordable and sustainable clean water for all. Our vision is to advance sustainable and responsible policy initiatives that help to shape a strong and sustainable clean water future. For more information, visit www.nacwa.org.

About Moonshot Missions
Moonshot Missions is a 501(c)(3) non-profit collective of trusted peer advisors devoted to partnering with utilities to identify, customize, fund and implement strategies that help deliver clean water, improve performance, and reduce costs, with a focus on underserved communities. For more information, visit www.moonshotmissions.org.