EPA's Sustainable Water Leadership Program

 

Resources

Effective utility management (52pp, 3.53Mb, about PDF)

Operational resiliency

Energy management for water utilities

EPA's energy benchmarking tool

Combined heat and power

Leveraging voluntary programs (155pp, 936Kb, about PDF)

Energy best practices

Water efficiency

Water Audits

Water reuse

Decentralized systems (62pp, 1.23Mb, about PDF)

Biosolids

Vulnerability to Climate Change

Climate change and water

Environmental Compliance

EPA's Sustainable Water Leadership Program (SWLP) recognizes water and wastewater utilities that demonstrate sustainable management approaches that promote resource efficiency and protection.  EPA aims to provide this incentive for utilities to improve the performance of water and wastewater systems across the nation.

Please note that the Sustainable Water Leadership Program has indefinitely postponed the launch of its Recognition of Sustainable Water Systems, originally scheduled for FY 2010, due to an Agency review of the program in light of other Agency priorities.  If changes are made regarding the future direction of the SWLP program, updates will be posted to this website.

Origins:

The Sustainable Water Leadership Program originates from The Clean Water Act (CWA) Recognition Awards program that EPA has operated since 1985.  The CWA program recognized municipalities and industries for demonstrating outstanding technological achievements and innovative processes, methods, or devices in their waste treatment and pollution abatement programs.  Due to programmatic evolution and advances within the water industry, the program was redesigned to increase effectiveness, and expand applicability.

Program Redesign:

The original program reflected matters important at the time, but did not include many other facets of the wastewater industry.  The redesigned program now includes energy conservation, biosolids, pretreatment, watershed approaches, decentralized systems and combined sewer overflow management.  The redesign effort also expands eligibility to include drinking water facilities as well as managed decentralized systems and municipal stormwater systems.

Program Operation:

The recognition program assessment criteria will focus on effective utility management based on the "Ten Attributes of Effectively Managed Water Sector Utilities," which EPA and the water sector have endorsed.  Applicants will also be encouraged to highlight other initiatives.

Program Eligibility:

• Eligible applicants are limited to public, private and municipally owned treatment plants or systems; community water systems; and managed, decentralized systems (public or private).
• Applicants must be in compliance with applicable water quality requirements for one year and have a satisfactory record with respect to environmental quality.

Additional information on the SWLP program will be posted as it is available. 

Archived Information for CWA Recognition Awards Program

• History of the CWA Recognition Awards
• Compilation of all previous national winners 1986-2008 (PDF) (43 pp, 152K)

 

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