Texas and Florida Agencies Join Desalination Coalition
Texas Water Conservation Association and Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority Are latest Agencies to Join the United States Desalination Coalition
Washington, D.C., September 30, 2003 ... The Texas Water Conservation Association and the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority have joined the U.S. Desalination Coalition, an advocacy group established to promote an increased federal role in the development of seawater and brackish groundwater desalination projects.
The Texas Water Conservation Association, or TWCA, is the leading organization in the State of Texas dedicated to conserving, developing, protecting, and using the water resources of the State. TWCA represents the full spectrum of water interests in Texas including municipalities, river authorities, and groundwater users. The Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority is the sole provider of drinking water to the more than 118,000 residents and visitors to the Florida Keys. The Authority currently is planning the development of a new seawater desalination facility to provide increased reliability to its customers.
"The addition of TWCA and the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority to the U.S. Desalination Coalition greatly increases the strength of our voice in Washington, D.C.," said the Coalition's Executive Director, Hal Furman. "Now, over one fourth of all Members of Congress represent districts served by the Coalition's member water agencies. This greatly enhances our ability to educate policy makers about the need to invest in the development of desalination technology as a means of solving the Nation's critical water supply problems," Furman added.
The U.S. Desalination Coalition consists of public water agencies and investor owned utilities operating in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Florida. The Coalition expects to unveil shortly a new legislative initiative to authorize the establishment of a competitive program to provide energy assistance payments to a limited number of new desalination projects across the country.
