On World Water Day, March 22, the White House hosted a Water Summit to raise awareness about the national importance of water including the significance of cross-cutting, creative solutions for solving today’s water problems and inspiring change in how water is used, conserved and protected. The event served as a platform to highlight new commitments by the Administration and over 150 external institutions to better managing water resources and infrastructure for the long term.

As part of this effort, the White House issued a call-to-action for individuals, organizations, and institutions from all sectors to take new, specific, and measurable steps to address key water issues, such as drought or flooding; water availability or quality; water-use efficiency; water security; ecosystem requirements; or others.

As a recognized leader in the water sector, the Water Environment Federation (WEF) was an invited participant in the December meeting and submitted three commitments for consideration, of which the following two were accepted:

  • National Green Infrastructure Certification Program (NGICP),
  • the Leaders Innovation Forum for Technology (LIFT) Water Reuse Focus Area, and
  • the Water Reuse Roadmap.

“WEF is honored to be working in collaboration with our nation’s leaders, our water sector colleagues, and many stakeholders from across the country to explore and advance resilient and sustainable water management strategies that work for us today and protect our water for the future,” said WEF Executive Director Eileen O’Neill. “We are excited and encouraged by the increased awareness of the value and importance of water and the very real steps we are taking together to make it a national priority.”

To learn more about this effort, please read the Working Together to Build a Sustainable Water Future Fact Sheet. For a complete summary of commitments, please read the Commitments to Action on Building a Sustainable Water Future.

In conjunction with the event, the Executive Office of the President released a report that covers the extent of steps and commitments being made by the Administration and states and localities. The report, Commitments to Action on Building a Sustainable Water Future, includes the full list of sustainable, integrated, and long-term water management strategies recognized by the Administration to reduce and mitigate the incidence and impact of water stresses on U.S. communities.

Watch the full Water Summit: