The Shape of AWWA

I t took less than a minute on Oct. 26, 1881.In that moment, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and the Clanton Gang engaged in the historic gunfight at the O.K. Corral.Since then, numerous movies have been produced and books published about this fateful incident in Tombstone, Ariz.While much less documented, another significant, life-changing event occurred seven months earlier.It took days, not seconds, 1,400 miles away from Tombstone.The spot was Engineers' Hall at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.Twenty-two water utility employees from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, and Tennessee gathered for the first time to share best practices in water treatment, leading to the creation of the American Water Works Association.Together, they drafted and adopted AWWA's original constitution, stating the organization's purpose was "to exchange information about water-works management and to advance both consumers and water companies, and for the purpose of securing the economy and uniformity in the operations of water-works."During the 143 years of AWWA's history, its members have grown from the original 22 to more than 50,000.Also, AWWA is now known as the leading standards-writing organization for the water sector.The first AWWA standard was published in 1908 on the Specifications for Cast Iron Water Pipes and Special Castings.Today, AWWA offers water professionals more than 190 ANSI (American National Standards Institute)approved standards.As AWWA's membership grew, it recognized the benefit of disseminating knowledge that originated from the association as well as from local cohort groups.This strategic realization brought AWWA to create its first local section, the New York Section, in 1914.Two years later, there were eight AWWA sections, including one in Canada (which encompassed the entire country).By 1930, AWWA needed a headquarters office, which it established in New York City, along with a newly hired staff.AWWA now has 43 sections that span geographically from Maine in the eastern United States to Alaska on the western edge, and from Canada to the north to Mexico to the south.Add to that an association staff of 150, located in Denver and Washington, D.C.During the second half of the 1900s, AWWA focused on the critical need for research about water treatment and management.Its board of directors formed a water research foundation in 1966.Today, The Water Research Foundation is a One Water organization, delivering research programming to help address the water sector's