Securing water system funding is key to ensuring all Americans have safe, reliable, and affordable access to water and wastewater services. This funding and support must come from all levels—from the individual to the federal—and we’ve found that states can play a powerful role in developing innovative policies and public awareness campaigns that are critical to realizing a sustainable water future.
Today, we are pleased to share How States Can Lead on Water: The Critical Role of Innovative Funding and Public Awareness, the first policy brief of our Advancing One Water in the States series, which offers strategies for and examples of states leading the way in adopting creative water funding solutions and gaining public support.
From Utah to New Jersey, this policy brief shows how various states have established dedicated water funds and led impactful public education and awareness campaigns. The brief dives deeply into work underway in Texas surrounding the state-led Proposition 6 in 2023, which found success through years of cross-sector collaboration and partnerships, strong leadership, and policymaker and public education—notably the Texas Runs on Water campaign.
Many thanks to the state level leaders and others driving this essential work. We look forward to continuing to illuminate best practices for states to become One Water champions!
