Resources for Texas Rural Water Companies and Their Attorneys-Part Two

In Part One of this blog regarding resources available for Texas rural water and sewer companies, I discussed the tremendous resource that Texas rural water companies and their lawyers have in the Texas Rural Water Association. In addition to the TRWA, there are two other associations that can be tremendously helpful to Texas rural water companies and attorneys who represent them.

The National Rural Water Association is also a great resource. An individual membership is only $25.00 per year, and includes a subscription to their great magazine, “Rural Water”. One of the things I appreciate most about the National Rural Water Association is that they keep an eye on, and report on, research by and proposed new regulations of the Environmental Protection Agency (the “EPA”). The EPA is the federal agency that is primarily responsible for enforcement of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. Since the rules and regulations of the EPA are passed on directly to the state agencies that regulate water supply (in Texas, that agency is the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality or “TCEQ”), the information provided by the National Rural Water Association is often a crystal ball of changes ahead for Texas rural water companies.Another worthwhile organization that is a great resource for rural water companies is the American Water Works Association. This is a national organization with a more technical focus. AWWA publishes three excellent journals: “Opflow”, “Journal AWWA” and “Mainstream”. Their online library is excellent, and gives you access to a wealth of technical information. Membership for a water company with 5000 connections or less is $280.00 per year.

Each of these resources, the TRWA, the NRWA and the AWWA, are excellent resources for rural water companies and their attorneys. I highly recommend them.