After a competitive application round with many promising proposals, WaterNow Alliance and River Network are excited to announce the selection of five utility community-group partnerships to co-host a Community Water Academy in:
- Aurora, Colorado
- Frisco, Texas
- Lee’s Summit, Missouri
- Longmont, Colorado
- Santa Rosa, California
These partners’ Community Water Academies will advance a key building block of trust by deepening community understanding of utility roles and responsibilities. Community Water Academies provide utilities and community-groups an opportunity to work together to create a forum for utility customers, who are also community members, to align on local issues and open the lines of communication. With WaterNow and River Network support, and using the Ripples of Change: Guidelines & Templates for Building Your Own Community Water Academy as a starting point, the five selected partnerships are putting together customized, community-specific events that are designed to engage with their priority audiences on a variety of top-of-mind topics.
Read more about these unique approaches and the goals of this round’s Community Water Academies, below.
Aurora Water, Metro Water Recovery, and Aurora Health Alliance
Aurora Water, Metro Water Recovery, and Aurora Health Alliance are partnering to engage Aurora’s public health professionals and deepen these community stakeholders’ knowledge about local water systems. Access to safe, clean water are public health priorities, bringing Aurora’s water managers and healthcare providers together around a common goal. Advancing this common goal is why the Aurora Community Water Academy, will be dubbed the “Water Champion Alliance.” The 2-day event for Aurora Health Alliance members will take participants on tours of Aurora’s water treatment and Metro’s wastewater treatment facilities and feature expert presentations about the importance of water and wastewater services for protecting public health. The program will also highlight the roles Aurora Water and Metro Water Recovery play in providing these essential services that protect public health and the environment.
City of Frisco, North Texas Municipal Water District, and HOA Connect
The City of Frisco, North Texas Municipal Water District, (NTMWD) and HOA Connect (collectively, Academy team) are hosting a two-day community water academy in fall 2025. This initiative is focused on creating an intentional space for HOA Board Members, Property Management Companies, and licensed landscape professionals who are responsible for properties in the city to gain a deeper understanding of the roles and responsibilities of NTMWD and the City of Frisco water utilities, as it relates to water in a fast-growing municipality. Anticipated topics include the cost of water, the City of Frisco's Water Management Plan, and how to create a drought-resilient and water-efficient landscape that thrives in Frisco’s unique climate. Participants and presenters will also have time to converse, ask questions, address misconceptions, discuss water challenges, and brainstorm options that could help protect the area's water supply. The Academy team hopes participants become inspired, share what they learned with their community, and discover proactive ways to use water efficiently in North Texas.
Lee’s Summit Water Utilities and the Rotary Club of Lee’s Summit
Lee’s Summit Water Utilities and the Rotary Club of Lee’s Summit are teaming up to host their Academy that will focus on increased awareness about how the community’s water system works and create dialogue about upcoming outdoor water use efficiency standards. The partnership is built around the Rotary Club and Lee’s Summit Water Utilities’ shared goals of access to safe clean water and environmental stewardship. In addition, the Rotary Club’s membership of local decision makers is an ideal audience for Lee’s Summit Water Utilities—these local influencers can be ambassadors for the utility and the community to foster ongoing relationships and conversation about community water issues. The Academy will be integrated into the Rotary Club’s regular programming, and will feature a tour of Water Utilities’ facilities as well as other hands-on activities.
The City of Longmont Water Department, and Colorado Water Stories
Longmont Water and Colorado Water Stories are co-hosting their Community Water Academy to educate participants about the fundamentals of Longmont’s water systems—where does their water come from and where does it go—and instill a conservation mindset, particularly around reducing outdoor water use in summer months to lower the city’s peak water demand. The Academy will also feature upcoming updates to Longmont’s Consumer Confidence Report. Because this report is how the city shares information about drinking water quality with the public, the Academy offers a valuable touchpoint with participants to hear from them on what information and structure resonates most. Held on a Saturday afternoon over 2 hours, the Academy will be open to a wide audience with a goal to host 30-50 of Longmont’s young families and other audiences that might not otherwise have an opportunity to engage with Longmont Water. And to meet this audience where they are, live interpretation services and a parallel child-focused program will be provided.
City of Santa Rosa Water, and Latino Service Providers
Santa Rosa Water and Latino Service Providers are structuring their Community Water Academy as the “Santa Rosa Water Ambassador Program” that will engage current and past participants in Latino Service Providers’ Youth Promotores program. Specially tailored to this audience of 16-25 year olds, the Academy will balance technical information about Santa Rosa’s water systems and conservation and water use efficiency strategies with activities to engender participant’s interest in the water sector as a promising profession. As the Academy name suggests, the program will also position participants to be ambassadors for Santa Rosa Water to share the value the utility provides and for their community to help the utility understand community needs and concerns. The Santa Rosa Water Ambassador Program will meet weekly over the course of six weeks with a final celebration honoring the participants and their achievement in completing the program.