by Liz Royer
This article was published in the Summer 2026 issue of our newsletter.
Vermont Rural Water and Green Mountain Water Environment Association have been partnering on several outreach initiatives over the past few years, including a renewed focus on the state legislature this session.
There have been many proposed bills in the statehouse which could have impacts on drinking water and wastewater systems, but operators are rarely contacted to give their perspective on these issues. VRWA and GMWEA both track legislation and request to testify to various committees on relevant bills, but sometimes that isn’t enough to really drive home the points we need legislators to hear.
A tour of the South Burlington Airport Parkway Water Quality Facility last fall.
We know that most operators don’t have time to travel to Montpelier or watch hours of committee meetings, so we are making one request of you before the next legislative session starts: invite your state representatives, state senators, and other local officials to take a tour of your water or wastewater system.
Before state and local officials make decisions about housing and development in your community, they need to learn about the capacity of your system to provide more drinking water or treat more wastewater. Have a conversation about your needs, your successes, and your challenges. If operators don’t have these conversations with decision makers, no one else will.
Your Select Board, Planning Commission, Town Manager/Administrator, and other local leaders need to be informed about the actual situation at your treatment plant, whether that is a small pumphouse in the woods or a multi-building urban wastewater facility. Seeing (and smelling) the treatment processes leaves a lasting impression for anyone who takes a tour.
In order to encourage everyone to reach out to their legislators and local officials, GMWEA, the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, and Vermont Rural Water are co-hosting “Water Quality Week in Vermont.” This event will be held at drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater systems around the state during the week of September 21–25.
Due to current security concerns, we are encouraging tours to be by invitation only. Invite decision-makers and others in your community who have influence at the local or state level. Please call or email these state and local officials and let them know how important it is to visit your system and see the infrastructure that protects public health and the environment in the communities they serve and represent.
If you are nervous about these conversations or are unsure what to say, GMWEA and VRWA will provide you with talking points and can send someone to help host the officials at your system. Quite a few larger facilities are already planning to participate but we are hoping to have more smaller systems take part as well, including fire districts, homeowner associations, and non-municipal systems.
Now is the time to reach out. Decisions are being made that are going to significantly impact water and wastewater systems in Vermont. It is vitally important that legislators and local officials understand the challenges you face as operators and hear firsthand from you!
This is our opportunity to advocate for the needs of treatment plants, pipe networks, and pump stations, plus discuss resiliency planning for floods, droughts and other emergencies. You are the expert on your system!