Comments on Aguanomics: Why should I be an AWWA member?

@Ger -- I agree. AWWA is good for engineers. Wheth...

2009-11-20T13:06:17.352-08:00

@Ger -- I agree. AWWA is good for engineers. Whether THAT's good for water management (are engineers too powerful, do they understand scarcity?) is a different question. Given what I've seen (and NOT seen), I'd say NO.

I work in the engineering division of a large muni...

2009-11-20T08:04:51.190-08:00

I work in the engineering division of a large municipal water and sanitary sewer collection agency on the east coast.

From the perspective of the technical aspects of the design, operation and maintenance of utility systems I think the AWWA is a quite valuable organization. The AWWA Research Foundation (recently renamed to Water Research Foundation and which is a group somewhat separate from the AWWA) in particular is a very valuable operation in doing well...technical research and disseminating info to member agencies.

Our annual membership fees to AWWA and the Water Research Foundation are in the tens of thousands of dollars and the consensus among our engineering staff is that it is a worthwile expenditure.

From the business side of things it may be that the AWWA is not quite as forceful an organization. But realistically, how can they be?

The whole issue of water rates is so tied up in local and regional politics (certainly a Californian would understand that!)that I don't think any primarily technically oriented organization will have much clout or impact.

Do you ever get the feeling that, sometimes, an or...

2009-11-20T07:58:41.262-08:00

Do you ever get the feeling that, sometimes, an organization like this has been created for the sole purpose of scamming just you?

AMEN brother. I gave it up almost 20 years ago an...

2009-11-19T14:30:10.478-08:00

AMEN brother. I gave it up almost 20 years ago and they are less than 3 miles from me, physically. About a light year from me in every other way.