The Center for Water Security and Cooperation releases the first edition of the American Water Access Survey (AWAS). The AWAS is a unique effort to ensure that each and every household has, gets, and keeps access to water. Without a clear definition and metric for success, many households will never attain access to water or are likely to lose access.

The AWAS sets a standard for achieving universal access to water and creates a mechanism for identifying and tracking communities who are at the greatest risk of not having or of losing access to water. The 2022 AWAS focuses on an examination of the state of economic access in six U.S. cities: Cleveland, Ohio; Detroit, Michigan; El Paso, Texas; Richmond, Virginia; Shreveport, Louisiana; and St. Louis, Missouri. Future reports will build out the standard to capture the additional three dimensions for achieving access to water set out in previously published blue papers, including: A. the protection and management of water resources that serve as the source of drinking water, especially in light of the growing impact of climate change, B. the installation, operation, and maintenance of water services infrastructure at the household level, and C. the provision of drinking water and sanitation that protect public health and the environment.

The American Water Access Survey (AWAS) Report can be accessed here.