Stormwater Policy and Advocacy

Each year during Water Week, the Stormwater Community hosts the National Stormwater Policy Forum to advance the latest legislative and regulatory concerns of the stormwater sector to members of Congress and federal regulators.

Since 2018, the WEF, in partnership with the National Municipal Stormwater Alliance, has driven stormwater advocacy to the next level. The National Stormwater Policy Forum has evolved to increase the impact of its efforts to bring stormwater professionals to learn about current policy issues driving the stormwater sector.

As part of this event, the annual Recommendations to Improve the Stormwater Program in the U.S. document is developed and updated by Water Environment Federation (WEF) and National Municipal Stormwater Alliance (NMSA) volunteers. The goal of the document is to provide clear and concise requests to Congress based on the sector's needs, whether that is policy updates, funding for programs, or research. This document is available during meetings with congressional representatives during the National Policy Fly-in on Water Week.

Some of the impacts of this document along with other WEF stormwater projects have been

• Funding for Stormwater Centers of Excellence,
• Atlas 14 update approved through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and 
• Networking opportunities with high-level officers and federal regulatory figures.

Stay tuned for Water Week 2027 announcements!