The American Water Works Association (AWWA) unveiled Water 2050 in March 2022, an ambitious initiative to chart a course toward sustaining and protecting the global water supply while also expanding access to clean, safe water throughout the world and increasing representation and visibility in the waterworks sector.
A teaser video promoting awareness of Water 2050 debuted in June at AWWA’s Annual Conference and Exposition, ACE22, in San Antonio.
Water 2050 seeks to address the future of water with a five-fold approach:
Sustainability - There is a clear need for environmental stewardship for all of us who call this planet home. Developing and promoting that sense of responsibility, while in kind developing new approaches to how we access and use water is crucial to guaranteeing access to fresh, clean water for generations to come.
Technology - Leveraging advances in technology, particularly industrial automation and the Internet of Things (IoT), can be a powerful tool in advancing efficient and effective water management, providing smart solutions for the challenges and complexities of an increasingly-industrialized and emergent world.
Economics - Economic issues ultimately are environmental issues. To adequately protect the water supply and responsibly expand access to water, addressing issues such as supply chain management, updating utility infrastructure and employing a circular economy will be essential.
Governance - Regulations and legislation surrounding waterworks and the water supply at large is fragmented and often ad hoc, varying from country to country, and in the US, state to state and even municipality to municipality. Water 2050 seeks to establish stronger and clearer international standards for water infrastructure and ecological protection.
Social and Demographic - This initiative will not succeed without buy-in throughout not only the waterworks industry, but beyond our realm. Elevating issue awareness and education, restoring and upholding public trust, bridging regional, racial and background divides with a common cause and shared vision can help us not only obtain buy-in on the need to defend water resources, but strengthen our communities as a whole.
And with that sense of shared vision in mind, Safe-T-Cover is pleased to support Water 2050’s ambitious goals. Protecting your waterworks equipment with one of our industry-leading aluminum enclosures is not only financially prudent and a practical decision to protect your utilities from harsh weather conditions, but it’s also a way to help promote environmental stewardship in your own backyard, or wherever you have sensitive waterworks equipment installed. Keeping your pump or backflow enclosure safe and in perfect operating condition helps prevent waste and upholds responsible use of water.
Join us and AWWA as we tackle the challenges ahead. Together, we can safeguard the future of water.