Water education
Most Californians do not know how their water reaches them. We explain it. Who sets the rates, who runs the plants, who pays the bill.
Sacramento, California
We exist because diversity
in water does not.
Water policy in California gets decided in long meetings. Rate hearings. Bond measures. Hiring plans. Most people never see the room.
CAAWEF is in that room. We work so public officials understand what their decisions cost Black ratepayers.
None of this happens alone. We work with partners to protect these communities, to speak for them, and to make room for them.
What we do
Three lines of work.
The water industry is public, technical, and slow to open. We work on all three fronts at once.
Professional development
Black water professionals get training and mentorship inside the industry. The goal is advancement, not just a way in the door.
Workforce training
The industry hires narrow. We widen the door for workers and for contractors, and we lower the cost of getting in.
Community knowledge is unmatched.
CAAWEF brings the lived experiences of African Americans to the public officials making decisions about their water.
Programs
Where the work happens.
Three programs, built for three different points in a career.
Mid-career
Educate To Lead
Five in-person sessions for mid-level managers in water and energy. Built with Water Education for Latino Leaders.
College
Community Water Careers Academy
Eight sessions for first and second year college students. Industry professionals do the teaching.
Entry
Workforce development
Three certified pathways into the industry. Drinking water, wastewater, and operator-in-training.
By the numbers
5In-person sessions in Educate To Lead
8Sessions in the Community Water Careers Academy, seven online and one in person
10Directors on the CAAWEF board, drawn from across California
Water is the one bill nobody can opt out of.
That is why the decisions matter, and why somebody has to watch them.