Community Engineering Corps: Using Volunteer Expertise to Make an Impact in Small Systems

Many communities across the United States have deficient infrastructure systems and struggle with regulatory compliance issues. The American Water Works Association, in alliance with the American Society of Civil Engineers and Engineers Without Borders USA, has developed a program to fulfill such communities’ need for help in addressing these concerns. This program, the Community Engineering Corps® (CECorps), assists underserved US communities in meeting their infrastructure needs and improving the quality of life for each of the communities’ members.

The CECorps combines the strengths of three organizations to provide technical expertise to such communities. The mission of the program is to bring underserved communities and volunteer engineering leaders together to advance local infrastructure solutions. The alliance’s vision is a country where all communities have access to the technical expertise required to ensure the infrastructure capacity to meet the communities’ needs.

CECorps has seen an exciting start to 2016; 15 community project applications have been received, of which 11 focus on providing communities with improved water or wastewater services.

The presentation will include at least two examples from current water sector projects.  These examples will highlight the relationship between the community partner and the project team as well as illustrate project progress and lessons learned.

Small water systems in underserved communities struggle with deficient infrastructure systems, regulatory compliance issues, and financing the solutions necessary to improve their systems.  Through this webinar, these systems and the primacy agencies that serve them will understand how CECorps can be used as a channel to get these systems on the path to system compliance and improvement. Additionally, AWWA members will understand how they can volunteer their time for hands-on projects to provide these underserved communities the technical assistance they need.