NACWA and the Water Environment Federation (WEF) co-hosted a Utility Leaders Event this week at WEFTEC 2021 in Chicago.  The event honored recipients of the annual Utility of the Future Today (UOTF) Recognition Program, sponsored by WEF, NACWA, the WaterReuse Association and the Water Research Foundation, as well as video remarks from EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox outlining the Agency’s current top water priorities.

The highlight of the event was a roundtable discussion among a panel of national clean water utility leaders addressing all the different ways their utilities have had to be resilient over the past two years, including to the pandemic, natural disasters and flooding events, workforce challenges, equity and social justice, and other issues.  The panel was moderated by Kishia L. Powell, NACWA’s President and Chief Operating Officer of DC Water, and included NACWA members Brian Perkovich, Executive Director of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago; Kyle Dreyfuss-Wells, CEO of the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District; and Pam Elardo, Deputy Commissioner of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.   

NACWA congratulates all the UOTF recognition winners and thanks WEF for the opportunity to partner on this important event.  It was great to see everyone who traveled to WEFTEC and begin to reengage with one another in person!