The Consultative Council’s Clean Water and Sanitation report will be included in a three-part 2024 Moving Forward Report to POTUS this spring

(WASHINGTON, DC, February 22, 2024) – The National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) today issued a new report entitled Clean Water, Sanitation, and the Built Environment, focusing on how commercial and residential buildings access and use water resources.

The water and sanitation access report calls for:

• Improved and increased data collection efforts regarding water access, quality, and use in households and buildings.
• Increased market share for WaterSense and other efficiency programs, expansion of the use of alternate water sources, and increased focus to water efficiency as it relates to energy efficiency.
• Increased funding for centralized and decentralized water and sanitation infrastructure, especially for projects in underserved communities, and support for strong water treatment standards.

“The development of a national strategy to provide sustainable water and sanitation services to rural and disadvantaged communities is of critical importance,” said Stephen T. Ayers, Interim President & CEO. “Part of this must include increased funding for water sector workforce programs to ensure a pipeline of future skilled workers.”

The report was prepared by the NIBS Consultative Council, an assembly of high-level building leaders that makes recommendations directly to the President of the United States, Congress, and state and local policymakers to improve the nation’s buildings and infrastructure.

View the report.