Source Water Collaborative Holds Meeting and Publishes 2016 Accomplishments Report

The National Source Water Collaborative (SWC), for which ASDWA serves as a co-chair with GWPC, held a meeting this week and published its 2016 Accomplishments Report.

SWC Meeting and Field Trip

The SWC held a meeting and went on a field trip this week in Washington, DC. Participants at the meeting included 35 representatives of the Collaborative’s 27 members and guests. The meeting served to reflect on the accomplishments of the SWC to date and jumpstart a variety of ideas and activities for the members to undertake in 2018. Some of the ideas coming from the discussions included activities related to  innovative funding sources, the upcoming Farm Bill, support for local collaboratives, and outreach to non-traditional partners. The field trip to Arcadia Farm after the meeting also provided a great learning opportunity for some of the participants to learn about the farm’s sustainable farming practices; educational opportunities for school children; training programs for veterans; and mobile market for providing fresh organic produce to disadvantaged communities.

SWC 2016 Accomplishments Report

The SWC’s 2016 Accomplishments Report explores just a sampling of the various individual and collaborative efforts from the past year and celebrates 10 years of achievement. The SWC started in 2006 with fourteen national organizations, concerned about the implications of shifting landscapes and quickly expanding developments on the safety and sustainability of drinking water supplies. Those 14 members knew that they were faced with a challenge and an opportunity, and by acting together now, they could protect sources of drinking water for generations to come. Over the past ten years, the SWC has experienced tremendous growth and progress—the original 14 members has nearly doubled and is now 27 strong, after welcoming the newest member, American Rivers. The one-stop-shop website boasts a compendium of valuable resources and targeted toolkits, products of member collaborations, while the Twitter feed (@sourcewatercol) has quickly become the place for source water protection news, updates, and member accomplishments. In 2016 the SWC launched the popular Learning Exchange webinars and resources, and participation at high-profile national conferences have greatly expanded its reach and impact.

While the last ten years have been marked by change, the core principle that the SWC was founded on remains— that by working together and combining our strengths, resources, and will to action, this diverse set of member organizations would be able to realize far greater successes than by working alone. This principle still provides the foundation of the Collaborative’s approach and success today. To read the Accomplishments Report, visit the SWC website. We also encourage you to sign up for the email distribution list or follow the SWC on twitter for the latest in source water protection news & events.