The Western Urban Water Coalition (WUWC) was established on June 30, 1992, to present a new, distinctive, and progressive perspective on water resource management in the modern West. The association includes member municipal water utilities serving the largest Western cities and represents more than 40 million water consumers across eight states.

WUWC members are public utilities dedicated to providing a reliable, high-quality urban water supply for present and future generations while preserving the unique environmental and recreational attributes of the West. Achieving this goal is critical to the region’s economic growth and sustainable quality of life. To meet this goal, WUWC is an active public and legislative advocate for pragmatic water resource management programs. WUWC encourages water exchanges and transfers, supports an adequate supply of water for environmental purposes, advances multi-purpose storage and hydropower opportunities, promotes water conservation, and advocates for effective and practical environmental regulatory programs.

WUWC members face challenges resulting from aging infrastructure, increased regulatory burdens, declining water supplies, and changing environmental conditions, while simultaneously seeking to secure sustainable water supplies for growing populations. These challenges are exacerbated by the region’s arid climate, growing fluctuations in annual precipitation, and other climate effects that result in extreme weather events and natural disasters, including wildfires, that strain watersheds and threaten urban water supplies. At the same time, protecting and enhancing resources within the public trust and preserving environmental values are paramount. Therefore, WUWC actions reflect a pragmatic integration of water supply activities and other water-dependent uses such as commerce, recreation, and wildlife habitats. The actions taken to date by WUWC to address such challenges reflect the Coalition’s commitment to proactively manage water supply demands in the West. WUWC’s successes have created the momentum needed to confront future challenges. However, support from Congress and federal agencies are needed to maintain that momentum.

WUWC uses its collective voice, which is separate and distinct from other regional and national organizations, in the ongoing debates over water policy in federal and state legislatures. We are also active in executive leadership, as well as in the courts and the media. We regularly work with state and federal agencies, appear before congressional committees, participate in workshops and roundtable discussions, comment on agency guidance and rulemaking, and serve as a party in litigation. And, of course, WUWC members are active collaborating partners with state and federal agencies and a variety of stakeholders.

WUWC advocates for effective and practicable approaches to implementation of environmental protection programs in a time when water sources are being diminished by extreme weather and the development of sustainable supplies is vital. The Coalition advocates for effective resource management policy that:

  • Supports Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals and invests in disadvantaged communities
  • Enhances predictability and certainty for Western water utilities
  • Promotes efficient and effective environmental review
  • Encourages water shares and transfers
  • Develops resilience to environmental challenges like droughts, wildfires, landslides and floods, as well as the public safety threats of seismic events and facility failures
  • Supports an adequate supply of water for environmental purposes
  • Advocates for the replacement of aging water systems and development of new water infra-structure to promote water conservation
  • Establishes effective and practicable water protection and water quality standards
  • Uses and promotes far-reaching water conservation, reuse and recycling practices and technologies