WATERWORKS EDITION 2024
When the organization announced its 2024 WASDA Washington Summit, we knew it was our opportunity to share important insights that push for support across our industry. So this spring, Director of Sales Kevin King and Waterworks Division Manager Darin Coker made the journey to D.C., meeting with Representative Graves, Representative Lutlow, Senator Cassidy, Senator Cruz and related agencies to discuss support for the waterworks industry in three critical areas: infrastructure, supply chain challenges, and workforce development. All three areas require federally-funded support— support that has technically been authorized by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021. This bipartisan law cleared $1.2 trillion for transportation and infrastructure spending, including more than $55 billion in water funding. However, one of the top concerns shared by the WASDA delegation is that Congress has not yet appropriated the full levels of funding provided for in the legislation. In meetings with elected officials, our team discussed the urgency of our nation’s situation and encouraged immediate action to ensure at minimum that the full $3 billion authorization for the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (SRF) be made available.
Addressing Policy for Progress
Meanwhile, the challenges associated with the Build America Buy America (BABA) Act continue to be thorns in the side of waterworks operations nationwide. Nearly two years since its official implementation, this law has not been fully defined, clarified or detailed, resulting in delays and disruption to important water infrastructure projects and operations. Unfortunately, municipal challenges are just one sector that’s impacted. Manufacturers and retailers, who are doing their best to comply amid uncertainty, face major hurdles as well when trying to interpret today’s legal parameters. On this front, our team explained to lawmakers that the industry needs time and flexibility. Water and wastewater projects rely on specialized and often highly-engineered complex products that must meet strict design specifications and regulatory standards. Sourcing alternate parts or finding new solutions to comply with BABA will require changes to the supply chain that cannot happen overnight.
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