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

Milwaukee Water Commons 2022 We are Water Event brings neighbors from around the city to the shore of Lake Michigan to celebrate their shared relationship with water. (Photo credit - Joe Brusky.)

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 edition of River Voices. 

Check it out here!

EPA's Local Infrastructure Investment Stories

EPA is compiling 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. 

Image courtesy of the Water Hub's Just Infrastructure campaign. Find more graphics at justinfrastructure.org/artwork

Advocate Opinions: Op-eds and News Stories Featuring Forum Members

An image of a sidewalk, green grass, power lines crossing overhead, and houses on the left.
Photo credit: Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
New Jersey Future's 10 Recommendations to the New Jersey Water Bank for Advancing Equity.

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

Whether you have a formal report or a jotted down note about an effective SRF advocacy win or a local infrastructure implementation story, we want to learn from and share it!
A photo of a large sign in the median of a street, describing a water infrastructure project using BIL funding.

The SRF State Advocates Forum is convened and facilitated by the Alliance for the Great Lakes, Environmental Policy Innovation Center, PolicyLink, and River Network.