Press Release - National Rural Water Association
2915 S. 13th Street
Duncan, OK, 73533
(580) 252-0629 FAX (580) 255-4476
Contact: Kris Cash, nrwakc@nrwa.org

No one does a better job of taking care of the environment in any given 24-hour period than the men and women of Rural Water! Through the efforts of the National Rural Water Association and its State Affiliates, the United States is provided with clean, safe and affordable drinking water and a stronger, cleaner environment.

Did you know that in a single year Rural Water trains over 55,000 water and wastewater system personnel? Additionally, State Rural Water Associations provide around 100,000 on-site technical visits annually. Rural Water training and technical assistance creates a network of support so water and wastewater systems can deal with the complex issues of today’s industry.

Just take a look at a few of the things Rural Water accomplished in 2006.

· Total On-site Acts of Technical Help: 100,344

· On-site Compliance Assistance: 11,150

· Communities Adopting Groundwater Protection Plans: 4,033

· Communities Adopting Source Water Protection Plans: 619

· Community Officials Trained: 10,091

· Communities Receiving USDA Water Funding: 8,080

This powerful form of Rural Water assistance allows local utilities to effectively provide their communities with environmental protection, source water protection, and compliance with federal mandates from the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), the Clean Water Act (CWA), and other federal laws.

One of Rural Water’s greatest environmental efforts is geared to teaching water systems how to help one another particularly during times of crisis like a hurricane or flood. Although utilities are encouraged to join their State Rural Water Association they don’t have to be a member to receive assistance.

WE ARE TOP ENVIRONMENTALISTS!

Rural Water’s environmental efforts are truly unique because they happen 24-hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Every time you turn on the faucet you can count on clean, safe water. Whenever you flush the toilet,  wash the car, or take a simple shower your wastewater is treated and returned safely to the environment.

Small communities are geared to progressive environmental protection because of Rural Water’s efforts in their states. This local community support for environmental protection is essential to its long-term success. EPA’s own office of enforcement has documented the success of Rural Water’s grassroots environmental efforts.

With the increasing number of federal regulations under the SDWA and CWA, Rural Water technical and environmental assistance is the backbone of small community compliance.

EPA may mandate a community’s environmental compliance, but Rural Water ensures that a community knows how to comply. Small communities work tirelessly to ensure the quality of their drinking water and their environment. Rural Water provides them with the shared technical resources to do it.

The National Rural Water Association is a non-profit federation of State Rural Water Associations. Its mission: to provide state associations with support services to meet the needs of their membership. NRWA is America’s largest utility association with over 24,558 members.

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