NAWI Regional Water Planning Needs Webinar
The WSWC will partner with the Department of Energy’s National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI) to host a virtual webinar and feedback session for state water managers on Thursday, September 17, from 10 AM to 11:30 AM MT. This session gives members an opportunity to shape future federal research priorities, policy tools, and funding structures for non-traditional water supplies. Most of the 90-minute session will be devoted to facilitated discussion around NAWI’s Regional Water Systems RFI, covering three areas: (1) how water planners and utilities currently make decisions about regional project needs and non-traditional supply sources—including potential cross-sectoral benefits between water and electric power systems; (2) what modeling, analytical tools, and data gaps stand between planners and better-informed decisions; and (3) what funding, technical assistance, or other support NAWI could offer to help states and utilities close those gaps. Responses may come from cross-sector teams spanning industry, academia, national laboratories, nonprofits, trade associations, and the public sector, and should use the response template included in the RFI’s supporting documents. Written comments are due to NAWI’s portal by September 9.
Zoom Webinar: Register here
NAWI’s program includes a $75M investment over five years, with a new focus on regional water systems planning. Through its Regional Water Systems Request for Information (RFI: NAWI-5-2026), NAWI is seeking input from western state water planners to better understand the technological innovation landscape, identify barriers to regional investment in new water technologies, and learn how states approach decisions about demand, supply, and gaps in future water planning—with the goal of identifying tools and data models that can bridge the gap between available information and actionable insight for planners.
Presenters have encouraged members to review the slides or recording from NAWI’s August 4 informational webinar on the Regional Water Systems RFI ahead of the September 17 session, as they cover helpful background for the discussion. Review is not a prerequisite for attending. Slides / Video.
For additional background, see this two-page overview.