WEF Commits to One Voice for Water, Passes Resolution to Explore Partnerships

Alexandria, Va. - The Water Environment Federation's (WEF) Board of Trustees voted unanimously on Friday, January 19, 2007 to approve a resolution to explore the benefits and opportunities of developing a single water association to represent water professionals and resources within North America.  Intended to foster discussions with the American Water Works Association (AWWA), the resolution was not approved by AWWA’s Board of Directors the next day. 

"WEF strongly believes that ensuring one strong voice for water would better serve our members and our communities by strengthening clean water initiatives in protecting public health and the environment,” said WEF President Mohamed Dahab.  “We are disappointed we have lost this opportunity with AWWA for now, but the Federation remains committed to moving forward to partner with water organizations in and outside North America to achieve this vision.”

The WEF Board of Trustees believes the current divide between water supply and water quality pervades many aspects of the water community, leaving gaps in the protection of public health that other, less specialized groups will fill. In particular, the international community looks to North America for technical advances and leadership in water policy.  An integrated approach to water management in North America would no doubt significantly increase influence on both domestic and international water policies and be capable of providing unrivaled leadership in addressing the global water challenge.

The Water Environment Federation is committed to its vision of “preserving and enhancing the global water environment” and will continue to seek new opportunities of providing leadership and technical expertise to water professionals around the world.

Formed in 1928, the Water Environment Federation (WEF) is a not-for-profit technical and educational organization with 32,000 individual members and 80 affiliated Member Associations representing an additional 50,000 water quality professionals throughout the world. WEF and its member associations proudly work to achieve our mission of preserving and enhancing the global water environment.

Perhaps best known as the creator and sponsor of WEFTEC – the largest annual water quality exhibition in the world – WEF provides numerous educational programs, technical training materials and publications for the water quality community. Most recently, the Federation increased its international presence through the acquisition of World Water & Environmental Engineering and subsequent formation of WEF Publishing UK Limited (WEFP), a wholly-owned and for-profit subsidiary of the Federation located in central London.