Model and Strategy
WNA‘s purpose is to catalyze a fundamental shift in urban water management making sustainability the new
normal. Innovative solutions can maximize reuse and efficiency but are not yet deployed at scale. To accelerate
this transformation, WNA is engaging and mobilizing the leaders in California and the West who control 85% of
water spending, in a new network focused on sustainable water innovation providing a clear path to actionable
change. WNA expedites impact by connecting water leaders to data, resources and solutions, systematically
identifying and eliminating barriers, disrupting regulatory stasis, sparking collaboration, serving as a collective
voice, and demonstrating that unconventional water strategies can ensure a cost-effective, water-secure future.
Rather than falling into crisis-driven decision making, we can achieve water security for all communities by
investing in and growing sustainable innovation.
Impact
The long-term impacts of the WNA initiative include:
* A radical increase in the role of sustainable water technology, innovation, and strategies in supply portfolios of communities throughout California and the West. In the majority of communities today, these solutions represent a very minor slice of water planning relative to conventional approaches.
* A “tectonic shift” in the political support and prioritization for efficiency, green infrastructure, reuse, watershed protection and other sustainable water strategies as their efficacy is demonstrated and leaders’ confidence in them grows as viable options for their communities.
* A major unlocking of investment resources of the public agencies that provide almost all of the water for people in California and the West toward deploying innovative water strategies and ultimately increasing public spending on these measures by 23 times today’s levels. This would provide replicable and scalable models for the rest of the U.S. to shift from conventional approaches toward sustainability.
Leadership
-
Cynthia Koehler
Co-founder and Executive Director