Aust Reelected to
National Rural Water Association’s Executive Board

The National Rural Water Association announced that Mel Aust of California was reelected to Executive Board for another term.  National Rural Water is America’s largest utility association dedicated to rural and small community water and wastewater systems.   

Aust’s executive position requires him to assist the association in its dedication to clean, safe and affordable drinking water for rural America. 

His work with the 2005 National Rural Water Association Board of Director’s will include addressing regulatory, environmental, and legislative challenges facing America’s water industry.

First appointed as the California representative to NRWA in 2001, Aust was elected to the Executive Board in 2002. He also serves on the NRWA Asset Development Committee, NRWA Legislative Committee, and the NRWA Conference Committee. 

With an extensive 32 year background in the water / wastewater industry and a native Californian, Aust began his career in 1971 with the City of Garden Grove finishing as their Water Quality Manager.  Between 1984 and1989 he served in the capacity of General Manager for Glen Avon Mutual Water Company and Assistant General Manager to Jurupa Community Services District in Riverside.  In 1989, Aust assumed the General Manager’s position of Stonehouse Mutual Water Company and oversaw the merger with Hidden Valley Lake Community Services District in 1993.

Aust is a Director for the California Rural Water Association, member of the Association of California Water Agencies Federal Affairs Committee, member of the California Department of Water Resources Drought Preparedness Committee Representing Small Rural Systems. 

He testified in front of the California State Senate’s Agriculture & Water and Finance committees regarding AB 1504.  This legislation passed on December 31, 1992 allowing a tax exempt merger of Hidden Valley Lake Community Services District and Stonehouse Mutual Water Company.

Aust was awarded “Manager of the Year” by the Wine Country Water Works Association.  He’s authored two papers: “Reclamation Balances Resources in an Adjudicated Basin” and “Land Use Planning & Relationship to Recycled Water” both of which were presented at Wateruse Association of California Conferences. 

Aust has a degree in management from Rancho Santiago College and is currently employed as General Manager of the Hidden Valley Lake Community Service District in California. 

Aust and his wife Connie were recognized during the NRWA Annual Leadership Forum Banquet on October 13, 2004 in Biloxi, Mississippi.

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 24,550 members.   Historically, NRWA’s state associations have trained over 55,000 water and wastewater system personnel each year for two decades.  They also provide over 90,000 on-site technical assistance visits a year.

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