(July 17, 2018) – An op-ed published in The Hill newspaper last week by two NACWA utility members highlights the important role that Congress can play in helping to advance and ensure a qualified water workforce in the United States. 

Co-authored by Andy Kricun, Executive Director and Chief Engineer of the Camden County (NJ) Municipal Utilities Authority and NACWA Board member, along with David Sago, Utility Manager for the City of Fairmont, WV, the piece highlights a recent water workforce report from the Brookings Institute and important bipartisan legislation in the Senate – sponsored by Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Shelly Moore Capito (R-WV) – that would create a federal grant program to help hire and train qualified professionals for public drinking water and clean water utilities. 

NACWA is pleased to be working with the Water Agency Leaders Alliance (WALA) and other key stakeholders to help advance this legislation and raise the profile of water workforce issues in national policy discussions.