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The California-Nevada Section of the American Water Works Association: Education and Advocacy for the Water Industry
The CA-NV AWWA headquarters, located inside the Frontier Project in Rancho Cucamonga, California.
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he American Water Works Association (AWWA) provides advocacy, education, and tools to support new and experienced managers in the water industry. The California-Nevada Section of AWWA (CA-NV AWWA), one of AWWA’s 43 constituent sections, works to solve water problems for utilities and water organizations in a region that struggles with droughts, water affordability, and wildfires. In this interview, Sue Mosburg, the executive director of CA-NV AWWA, tells us about her organization’s efforts to support the water industry through trying times.
Municipal Water Leader: Please tell us about CA-NV AWWA.
Municipal Water Leader: Please tell us about your background and how you came to be in your current position.
Municipal Water Leader: Is AWWA made up of different regional sections like yours?
Sue Mosburg: I started working in water when I was a senior in high school. My first job was as a lake ranger’s assistant at the City of San Diego’s drinking water reservoirs. I enjoyed that job for 9 years before going to work for San Diego’s safety training program. I then worked for a drinking water system in the San Diego region. I became involved with AWWA at the local level when operator certification programs became a new requirement in the 1990s. I became an active leader in AWWA and moved up through the volunteer structure. About a year and a half ago, CA-NV AWWA was looking for an executive director. I was ready to retire from public agency service at the water system, but not ready to leave the industry. I applied for the position and got it. I started in the executive director role in January 2020.
Sue Mosburg: AWWA is made up of 43 different sections based in Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. AWWA also has members across the globe, including, for example, a large number of members in Japan, and has some satellite organizations, such as India AWWA. AWWA has about 50,000 members. CA-NV AWWA represents 10 percent of the total membership. Each section works independently to put on educational courses and networking activities and to support the local needs of its membership. The association’s headquarters tends to focus more on the overarching elements. The association has manuals of practice and technical committees that deal with topics that affect the entire membership and focuses on advocacy at the national U.S. level. If there are regional issues, municipalwaterleader.com
PHOTO COURTESY OF CA-NV AWWA.
14 | MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER | October 2021
Sue Mosburg: AWWA, our parent organization, is the largest nonprofit scientific and educational association in the world. CA-NV AWWA is also a nonprofit association. Our mission mirrors AWWA’s: We support water professionals and provide training services and certification activities. We celebrated our 100th anniversary last year. We provide the services network needed to bring the local drinking water community together. Our focus is on education, knowledge transfer, and advocacy.
