WEF-AWWA Fly-In to provide a unified voice for clean and safe water

ALEXANDRIA, VA. — The Water Environment Federation (WEF) and the American Water Works Association (AWWA) will join together to strengthen the voice of the entire water community on Capitol Hill by presenting the first-ever WEF-AWWA “Water Matters” Fly-In. Scheduled for April 4-5, 2011, in Washington, D.C., the event is intended to assemble delegations from each state that represent a cross-section of the water community.

There are a number of issues the clean water and drinking water communities can take to Congress together: infrastructure investment, security, funding for water research, and more. With many new faces in the 112th Congress, the Fly-In presents an excellent opportunity to educate our newly elected leaders on water issues.

Free to WEF and AWWA members, the event will begin on Monday, April 4 with briefings and discussions of current clean water and drinking water issues currently before Congress followed the next day by scheduled visits with state representatives. In addition, the Fly-In will include a reception for participants and invited congressional guests, a regulatory update breakfast, and a concluding luncheon to share information and lessons learned.

In addition, WEF and AWWA will prepare members by holding a special webcast on March 2 from 1:00-3:00 p.m. EST. The free webcast will include overviews of the 112th Congress and new congressional leadership; clean water/drinking water legislation; and the priorities and plans for the April event. Registration details for the webcast and a draft agenda for the Fly-In event are available in the Government Affairs Section (www.wef.org/governmentaffairs/default.aspx) of the WEF website.

The deadline for registering to be part of your state’s delegation is Thursday, Feb. 17. A block of rooms has been reserved at two area hotels for event participants. Please note that WEF members and member associations are responsible for their own travel and hotel arrangements.

For more information, visit the Government Affairs section of the WEF website, or contact your local member association representative, Nick Bardis at nbardis@wef.org or 703-684-2400, ext. 7731; or Kelsey Brown at kbrown@wef.org or 703-684-2477. To register for the Fly-In, contact Tommy Holmes at tholmes@awwa.org.