Hundreds of clean water professionals gathered in the historic city of Buffalo, N.Y. and on the beautiful shores of Lake Erie to discuss a range of relevant topics during NACWA’s Utility Leadership Conference and 54th Annual Meeting, held July 23-26. 

Convening with the theme “Dealing with Disruption: A New Approach for the Water Sector,” the conference examined disruptive trends with the goal of helping essential clean water agencies get ahead of key challenges and seize the opportunity to best serve their communities and customers.  

2024-2025 NACWA President Diane Taniguchi-Dennis moderates the panel discussion, "What Can the Clean Water Sector Learn from  Alternative Perceptions." 

Conference highlights included robust committee meeting discussions on a variety of topics including environmental justice, current legal developments impacting the sector, increasing challenges to utility operations and biosolids management, and emerging water quality issues. Key staff from U.S. EPA headquarters were also in attendance and provided important updates on Agency action and plans, including remarks from Bruno Pigott, the Acting Assistant Administrator for Water. 

Bruno Pigott, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Acting Assistant Administrator for Water, provides an update during the keynote address.

The conference plenary sessions included a keynote and panel discussion about the impacts of artificial intelligence on the water sector, a talk examining the ongoing challenges of community engagement, and a forum for utility leaders to listen to and learn from the opinions and perception of outside organizations. NACWA also honored the recipients of the 2024 Peak Performance Awards, along with the President’s Award and the Outgoing Board Award. Learn more here.

Members with questions may contact Rahkia Nance, NACWA’s Director of Communications.