History of the Water Equity Network
Water is a force for equity and opportunity. Historically marginalized communities face an array of equity challenges: affordability, water quality concerns, flooding, and more. At the same time, water can be an essential part of building thriving, healthy communities for all. Water utilities can lead the way: they are anchor institutions that safeguard public health, protect the environment, and create economic opportunity. With the collaboration of cross-sector partners like community organizations, environmental groups, and local government, utilities can build more equitable water systems.
In 2017, the Alliance released An Equitable Water Future, a definitive report on the water challenges facing historically marginalized communities and opportunities to leverage water investment to create social, economic, and environmental benefits for all people.
The Water Equity Network builds on a two-year effort starting with the Water Equity Taskforce, which brought together seven cities working to implement equitable water management practices: Atlanta, Buffalo, Camden, Cleveland, Louisville, Milwaukee, and Pittsburgh. Each Taskforce team produced a roadmap to share local equity challenges and solutions used to overcome them, as well as priorities for future action. Learn more about the Taskforce and read their roadmaps here.