Water Infrastructure Stories & Successes
Explore stories from advocates working on equitable water infrastructure investment from across the Forum, as well as communications and storytelling resources you can use to amplify your own efforts.
Water Hub's Just Infrastructure Campaign
Featured Advocacy Work: Changing Narratives in Milwaukee with Water Infrastructure Dollars
The Just Infrastructure website is full of water infrastructure investment message guides, factsheets, artwork, case studies and more. Put it to use!
Have an advocacy success story to share? Email Chrys at cgarzon@greatlakes.org.
River Network published a feature story about Milwaukee Water Commons SRF advocacy in their February 2024 edition of River Voices.
EPA's Local Infrastructure Investment Stories
EPA compiled examples of water infrastructure in communities across the country that are receiving Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) SRF funding. Explore here.
Some examples include:
Greene County, AL, which is partnering with EPA’s WaterTA program to evaluate their wastewater treatment options to address wastewater needs in unincorporated areas.
Baltimore, MD, where “partners developed a large bioretention garden in the Eden Korean United Methodist Church parking lot to intercept stormwater and capture it before it enters the sewer and local waterways.”
Ridgway, CO, where a second wastewater treatment plant will provide access to additional communities and increase reliability of service.
Advocate Opinions: Op-eds and News Stories Featuring Forum Members
On Milwaukee's lead service line replacement efforts: "The city was smart in creating this block-by-block approach that targets the most disenfranchised and disinvested communities that have some of the worst health outcomes."
"Two years of IUP engagement later, I feel like we've started to make some significant progress within the state."
Sept 2025: Richard Diaz is celebrated as a Hydro20 honoree for his advocacy for transforming water infrastructure to protect public health, create local jobs, and prioritize investment in marginalized communities.
Learn more at ARA’s Water Infrastructure Hub.
Recorded in the Story Lounge during River Rally 2024, in Grand Rapids Michigan.
- Opinion: We Must Continue Investing in Water Infrastructure. By Erin Kanzig, River Network.
- Published in BridgeDetroit on March 15, 2025.
- Opinion: Clean Water Is a Basic Human Right. Yet Many of Us Don’t Have It. By Huda Alkaff, Wisconsin Green Muslims.
- Published in the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service on March 22, 2024.
- Opinion: Hiring Local Workers is Vital to Speeding Up Lead Service Line Replacement in Milwaukee. By Joe Fitzgerald, Milwaukee Water Commons and Richard Diaz, BlueGreen Alliance.
- Published in the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service on Oct 3, 2023.
- Opinion: Make Your Voice Heard On Equity and Access in Michigan’s Water. By Victoria Loong, We the People of Detroit.
- Published in Planet Detroit on September 28, 2023.
New Jersey Future’s report, Improving a Program That Works: Prioritizing New Jersey Water Bank Projects in Disadvantaged Communities includes 10 recommended actions for the state to take. In addition to submitting formal Intended Use Plan (IUP) comments to state agencies, Forum members are publishing reports, scorecards, and recommendations that other water advocates can learn from.
New Jersey Future’s report can be found in the Resource Bank on this website along with a bunch of other resources.
Share your strategies, stories, and successes
The SRF State Advocates Forum is convened and facilitated by the Alliance for the Great Lakes, Environmental Policy Innovation Center, PolicyLink, and River Network.
