Background
Building upon the success of the Integrated Water and Stormwater Infrastructure Symposium, held on November 2018, NCPPP recently relaunched its Water Institute. The NCPPP Water Institute is a member-led forum for members with an interest in exploring the use of public-private partnerships across the water sector – drinking water, wastewater, stormwater – and related disciplines. The Water Institute is led by a Chair and guided through a Steering Committee composed of members and strategic partners of the Council. All NCPPP members are eligible to participate in the Water Institute.
Mission
The NCPPP Water Institute has as its mission to:
– Promote and facilitate dialogue and education among, and convene, a diverse universe of stakeholders in water and other sectors to address the challenges and identify specific actions at the federal, state and local levels to enable the implementation, where appropriate, of alternative delivery models to achieve clean, safe, affordable water for the public.
– Advance the concept of “Integrated Water” or “One Water” in the legislation, regulation, policy, planning, prioritization, implementation and funding of water (and related) projects in a regional and watershed context.
– Advocate and facilitate the utilization of public-private partnerships (and alternative procurement methods) in the water sector, and to raise the awareness of governments, businesses, and community stakeholders by which this cooperative effort can: (i) improve public health and local water quality; (ii) drive local economic development and jobs; and (iii) deliver programs and projects more efficiently with value-added goods and services results at affordable, risk allocated costs.
Potential Focus Areas
NCPPP Water Institute members have identified a wide range of focus areas, which will be translated initially into an ongoing Agenda:
- Integrated Water-better aligning (and/or eliminating) the “silos” in both regulation and delivery
- Community Outreach, Training and Education
- Local zoning barriers to improvement
- Regional and watershed based permitting, streamlining and implementation
- Green and Grey Infrastructure
- Nutrient Pollution, Recovery and Markets
- Innovation and Technology
- Flooding, Resiliency, Sustainability and Disaster Recovery
- Asset Management (Public & Private), Operation and Maintenance
- Business and Employment Development
- Water, Energy, Food and Waste Nexus
- Transportation Partnership Opportunities
The NCPPP Water Institute will include member-only discussions and white-paper developments for transfer and use by wider audiences on topics of importance, including emerging opportunities in integrated infrastructure. NCPPP Water Institute will be a strategic partner in supporting and leveraging efforts of leading national water NGOs.
