American Water Works Association (AWWA) Opens New Government Affairs Office
The American Water Works Association (AWWA) today opened its new Government Affairs offices, 1300 Eye Street, NW, overlooking historic Franklin Square, where a spring first supplied water to the White House in the 1830s.
AWWA has staffed an office in the U.S. capital for 39 years, bringing the water community’s expertise and voice to national regulatory and legislative matters. Established in 1881, AWWA is the world’s largest and oldest water organization, with headquarters in Denver, Colo., and 43 sections across Canada, the United States and Mexico.
The move underscores the progress and growth of the association, which celebrated its 125th anniversary last year. The new office offers more work space, better data management capabilities and improved meeting facilities for its eight-person staff, members and visitors. AWWA’s Government Affairs program has been the face and the voice of water professionals for many years in Washington, working closely with the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the White House, and other policymakers on a variety of water-related issues of importance to water providers and to the consuming public.
The new location of AWWA’s Washington office carries special significance for the water community and the nation. The first water supplied to the White House was drawn from a bubbling spring beneath Franklin Square in 1833 through iron pipes during the Andrew Jackson Administration.
“The Franklin Square spring provided the White House with water for drinking and home use, and also for critical fire protection,” said Tom Curtis, AWWA Deputy Executive Director for Government Affairs. “AWWA continues to work today in Washington and to assure a safe, sustainable water supply throughout the United States and beyond.”
This article originally appeared in the 01/01/2007 issue of Environmental Protection.