Mission
The mission of the Community Water Systems Alliance is to galvanize a clear and compelling voice for water systems that serve or want to support small and disadvantaged communities by advocating for their needs and issues, which typically are not given priority attention by mainstream water associations.
CWSA works to ensure that local officials and managers concerned with drinking water are heard by legislators, regulators, and the Governor’s office.
History
The Community Water Systems Alliance (CWSA) was initially launched in 2019 as a short-term initiative of the California Association of Mutual Water Companies (CalMutuals) to oppose a proposed meter tax and advocate for better economic feasibility considerations with the 2014 Hexavalent Chromium regulation.
The new alliance won on both issues, demonstrating the power of small and large water systems coming together to make their voices heard.
In its first five years, CWSA has doubled membership from its 9 founding members to over 20 members today.
CWSA continues to be a consistent advocate on regional and statewide issues that other water associations ignore, and for many small and mid-sized communities that were not well represented.
We provide a voice for ones that have been left out, and together we stand for reason and fairness.
Impact
Many California drinking water systems serve areas considered “disadvantaged communities” (DACs) under economic criteria.
But nongovernmental organizations often viewed as DAC advocates do not speak for all, and may not understand the operation of a drinking water system.
To lift up the concerns of small water systems and disadvantaged communities, the Community Water Systems Alliance (CWSA) is guided by the principle of “large helping small” water systems.
CWSA fills the void in representation with water systems from DACs and small community water systems, and others whose interests align with them to develop interim and long-term solutions with impacted water systems.
What had once started as a single-issue focus has now grown to advocate on behalf of both the smallest and the larger systems in the state.
The Alliance has weighed in and provided a new perspective on issues such as the proposed Chromium- 6 maximum contaminant level (MCL), the theft of water from illegal cannabis farms in the hi- desert area, and state support for small systems that primarily serve DACs.
CWSA seeks to educate state, federal, and local officials on advocacy for their communities and the ever-changing water regulations and bringing systems together for regional empowerment and advocacy.