Pictured from left to right: Jeane Jensen (Town of Gilbert), Asia Philbin (Marana Water), Senator McSally, and Brad Hill (City of Flagstaff).
Asia Philbin of Marana Water was in Washington DC last week representing the state of Arizona and the Town of Marana at “Water Week.” Every year, water professionals representing community water systems and water-related organizations converge on DC to discuss current water-related issues with the EPA, Bureau of Reclamation, congressional delegations, and others.
Philbin is the Arizona delegate for the American Water Works Association. She and others were able to discuss items with Senator Martha McSally and Senator Kyrsten Sinema, as well as many other representatives. They specifically explained the need for continued funding for water-related infrastructure and the importance of addressing emerging compounds like PFAs.
Water Week is the only national policy event of the year that draws together water professionals from across the country to advocate for the unique needs of drinking water and clean water utilities. It is not only an opportunity to advance policy priorities for the water utilities, including greater federal investment in water infrastructure, but also to celebrate the role these utilities play in communities nationwide.
The anchor event of Water Week is the National Water Policy Fly-In.
“As a new Congress takes control and infrastructure issues take center stage, your attendance and engagement are more critical than ever,” said the Water Week website.
Although the National Water Policy Fly-In serves as the anchor event of Water Week, there are other events in Washington and around the country that celebrate the importance of water and water utilities. In DC, water advocates participate in Congressional Briefings on water and celebrate with Members of Congress at a congressional reception. Outside of DC, utilities in communities from coast to coast celebrate Water Week by hosting facility open houses or other events that highlight the important contributions and benefits that drinking water and clean water utilities provide to support their communities.
