The Alaska Rural Water Association is a non-profit association of small water and wastewater utilities. We are governed by a seven member Board of Directors. We also are a proud member of the National Rural Water Association (NRWA), America’s largest utility membership organization. Our Board President sits on the NRWA Board of Directors to represent Alaskan utilities. ARWA's voting membership base is made entirely of water utilities in Alaska. Others, such as firms, corporations, or organizations, vendors, and other entities including public authorities, may become associate members. However, only utility members will have a vote in association matters. Visit our Membership page for membership information.

Our commitment is to education and training. The funding ARWA receives from the Environmental Protection Agency and other Federal and State agencies is directed into providing professional training and assistance to small water and wastewater utilities throughout Alaska. ARWA combines formal classroom training with follow-up and onsite technical assistance. With our help, operators and managers can meet the statutory obligations for legally operating and maintaining their water systems. We believe that the single greatest vulnerability these small systems face is sustainability. There simply isn't enough money for many of these systems to continue to operate without tightening their belts and operating more efficiently. By focusing on sustainability, we can learn to “do the most with what we have.”

We perform a number of other services for small utilities, including sanitary surveys for groundwater systems, management audits, asset valuation, management/board training, operator training, community education (a vital link in the chain of accountability), vulnerability assessment assistance, and mediation/arbitration of customer and regulator disputes. ARWA’s assistance to utilities is not dependant upon membership status in ARWA. Services are available free of charge to any public water or wastewater utility serving less that 10,000 persons. We encourage you, however, to consider membership in ARWA for the involvement it provides.

Alaska Rural Water Association’s full membership with National Rural Water Association involves our members in the national legislative process. The NRWA has been successful in asking Congress for increased water and wastewater loans and grants, so more small and rural utilities would be able to meet the rising costs of complying with strict environmental and health regulations.

The Future of ARWA
Our Board of Directors are in the process of further defining ARWA's mission and programs. With our continually growing membership base, it is important to identify the needs and concerns of Alaskan utilities. You are encouraged to contact the staff or the Board of ARWA with your training and assistance needs. Be involved with your association and its activities. Together we will soon become the leading provider of professional development services in Alaska.