Water Quality association
The Water Quality Association is a not-for-profit trade association founded in 1973 and headquartered in Lisle, Illinois, representing 2,500+ water treatment manufacturers, suppliers, and dealers worldwide. It provides ANSI/SCC-accredited Gold Seal product certification, professional credentials, training, and industry advocacy.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1973
- HeadquartersLisle, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Water Quality association does
The Water Quality Association (WQA) is a not-for-profit international trade association founded in 1973 and headquartered in Lisle, Illinois, representing more than 2,500 manufacturers, suppliers, and dealers in the residential, commercial, industrial, and small-community water treatment industry. The organization's core service is third-party product certification through its Gold Seal program (operating since 1959 and accredited by ANSI and SCC), which validates that water treatment products perform as claimed. WQA also administers a portfolio of professional certifications for water treatment practitioners, including Certified Water Specialist (CWS), Master Water Specialist (MWS), Certified Water Treatment Representative (CWR), Certified Service Technician (CST), Certified Treatment Designer (CTD), and Certified Installer (CI) credentials, with these programs operating in standardized form since 1977. Supporting services include self-paced training, the PFAS Portal, a Sustainability Certification Program, consumer education via BetterWaterToday.org, and public searchable databases (Find Certified Products, Find Certified Professionals).
WQA operates the Water Quality Research Foundation (WQRF), established in 1952, as an affiliated independent research arm that funds academic studies on PFAS, lead, arsenic, and POU/POE (point-of-use/point-of-entry) treatment efficacy with university partners including the University of British Columbia, University of Colorado Boulder, Purdue University, and the University of Nebraska. The organization's GTM (go-to-market) motion is sales-led and event-driven, centered on annual conventions (2026 Miami Beach, 2027 Phoenix), the WQA Radio podcast, webinars, and direct membership outreach to manufacturers, dealers, installers, and water treatment professionals. Revenue streams comprise recurring membership dues, product and professional certification fees, training program fees, event sponsorships and registration, and research contributions — with pricing not publicly disclosed. Recent strategic activity includes the creation of a VP of Product Certification and Laboratory Services role, the launch of PFAS testing capabilities and a Sustainability Certification Program, and active federal advocacy for the Healthy Drinking Water Affordability Act alongside a 40+ organization coalition.
Water Quality association firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Water Quality association
- Legal name
- Water Quality Association
- Website
- https://wqa.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1973
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- The Water Quality Association is a not-for-profit trade association founded in 1973 and headquartered in Lisle, Illinois, representing 2,500+ water treatment manufacturers, suppliers, and dealers worldwide. It provides ANSI/SCC-accredited Gold Seal product certification, professional credentials, training, and industry advocacy.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Water Quality association industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Water Treatment Certification Services
- NAICS
- Testing Laboratories and Services (54138), Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (92411)
- SIC
- Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Conformity Assessment, Testing, Inspection & Certification Cooperation (BPADANAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Water Quality Monitoring, Compliance & Reporting (Sampling, Lab, Regulatory) (EUANAAAG), Water Sampling, Testing & Laboratory Analysis (Legionella/Microbiology) (BPABAJAB), Water Safety Plans, Training & Documentation (Logbooks, SOPs) (BPABAJAL), Water & Wastewater Compliance (NPDES/Stormwater, Pretreatment, Drinking Water/SDWA) (EUAHABAB)
Keywords
Where Water Quality association is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lisle
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Water Quality association business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Membership Dues: WQA membership offers exposure to leading-edge thinking, advocacy on important regulations, and networking opportunities with industry leaders. Membership is available for manufacturers, suppliers, dealers, and water treatment professionals.
- Product Certification Fees: Third-party product certification through Gold Seal program for water treatment products, providing consumer confidence and regulatory acceptance.
- Professional Certification: Certification programs for water treatment professionals including Certified Water Specialist (CWS), Master Water Specialist (MWS), and other credentials.
- Education and Training: Training programs, webinars, and professional development courses for water treatment professionals.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Water Quality association product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Water Quality Association (WQA) is a not-for-profit international trade association that provides third-party product certification through its ANSI- and SCC-accredited Gold Seal program and industry-standardized professional certification (CWS, MWS, CWR, CST, CTD, CI) for water treatment professionals. It complements these certification services with membership, education and training, industry advocacy, consumer resources, and research through the affiliated Water Quality Research Foundation (WQRF).
Product overview
The Water Quality Association (WQA) is a not-for-profit trade association offering a portfolio of certification, training, and research services for the residential, commercial, and industrial water treatment industry. The core offerings include the Gold Seal Product Certification Program (third-party certification for water treatment products, accredited by ANSI and SCC since 1959) and Professional Certification Programs for water treatment professionals (including CWR, CWS, CST, CTD, and CI designations since 1977). Supporting offerings include WQA Training (self-paced courses and accelerated certification pathways), consumer-facing resources like BetterWaterToday.org and Water Treatment For Dummies, the Find Certified Products searchable database, industry research products (Business Operations Report, Consumer Opinion Study), and specialized portals such as the PFAS Portal and Sustainability Certification Program. The Gold Seal certification and professional certification programs form the association's primary credentialing infrastructure, while training and research products support and extend these core certification services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Gold Seal: Third-party product certification program for water treatment products, accredited by ANSI and SCC
- WQA Gold Seal
- BetterWaterToday.org
- WQA Radio / WQA Podcast
Products and services
- Gold Seal Product Certification Program
- Professional Certification Programs
- WQA Training
- WQA Sustainability Certification Program
- Find Certified Products Database
- WQA Membership
- WQA Convention & Expo
- Business Operations Benchmarking Report
- WQA Consumer Opinion Study
- PFAS Portal
- Water Quality Research Foundation (WQRF) Research Program
Companies that use Water Quality association
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Water Quality association technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Water Quality association partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and notable.
- NSF (NSF International)coreNSF co-sponsored PFAS surrogate research with WQRF. NSF is a leading certification body for drinking water treatment technologies and developer of NSF/ANSI standards (42, 53, 55, 58). NSF's engagement is essential for translating research findings into industry standards.
- University of Colorado BouldercoreWQRF funded research on PFAS treatment effectiveness led by Dr. Riley Mulhern. Study examines POU/POE systems in high-risk households affected by groundwater contamination from AFFF use.
- University of British ColumbiacoreDr. Madjid Mohseni from UBC leads PFAS surrogate research funded by WQRF. Phase 1 identified surrogate candidates; Phase 2 will examine PFBA as a predictor for broader PFAS compounds.
- University of NebraskacoreDr. Kaycie Lane from University of Nebraska conducted WQRF-funded study on sustainability comparison of POU/POE devices vs. centralized treatment upgrades for Safe Drinking Water Act compliance.
- Purdue UniversitycoreDr. George Zhou from Purdue University conducted independent study on retention and long-term fate of PFAS on POU/POE drinking water treatment media (activated carbon, RO membranes, ion exchange resins).
- American Water Works Association (AWWA)coreGrowing collaboration between WQA and AWWA. WQA CEO Pauli Undesser and Technical Affairs Director Eric Yeggy participated in AWWA Annual Conference and Expo. Discussed PFAS regulations, lead line replacement, and Water 2050 initiative.
- U.S. Chamber of CommercenotableOne of 40+ organizations publicly supporting the Healthy H2O Act alongside WQA.
- Rural Community Assistance PartnershipnotableOne of 40+ organizations publicly supporting the Healthy H2O Act alongside WQA.
- National Ground Water AssociationnotableOne of 40+ organizations publicly supporting the Healthy H2O Act alongside WQA.
- Water Systems CouncilnotableOne of 40+ organizations publicly supporting the Healthy H2O Act alongside WQA.
- International Code CouncilnotableOne of 40+ organizations publicly supporting the Healthy H2O Act alongside WQA.
- DigDeepnotableOne of 40+ organizations publicly supporting the Healthy H2O Act alongside WQA.
- International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical OfficialsnotableOne of 40+ organizations publicly supporting the Healthy H2O Act alongside WQA.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Water Quality association competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- NSF International: NSF is the dominant third-party certifier of drinking water treatment products and developer of NSF/ANSI standards (42, 53, 55, 58), competing directly with WQA's Gold Seal program for product certification revenue while also co-sponsoring PFAS research with WQRF.
- American Water Works Association (AWWA): AWWA is a peer nonprofit water industry association with overlapping membership, advocacy, standards, and education portfolios. WQA and AWWA increasingly collaborate on PFAS, lead line replacement, and Water 2050, but compete for industry voice and member mindshare.
- National Ground Water Association (NGWA): NGWA represents groundwater professionals and overlaps with WQA on private well treatment, certification, and advocacy; both sit within the same advocacy coalition for the Healthy H2O Act and compete for water-treatment professional memberships.
- International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO): IAPMO develops plumbing codes and standards and offers product certification, putting it in direct competition with WQA on residential water treatment certification, code influence, and professional credentials.
- Water Systems Council (WSC): WSC is a nonprofit focused on well water systems and small community water supply, overlapping with WQA's small community segment and sharing members; both advocate on rural water issues and serve private-well homeowners.
Broad incumbents
- International Code Council (ICC): ICC is a broader standards and building code organization whose codes influence plumbing and water treatment installations. ICC sits in WQA's advocacy coalition and shapes the regulatory environment for WQA-certified products, but its scope extends well beyond water treatment.
- UL Solutions: UL is a broad testing, inspection, and certification incumbent that certifies water-related appliances and components as part of a much wider product safety portfolio, overlapping with WQA's third-party certification but at greater scale and across many industries.
- CSA Group: CSA Group is a Canadian standards and testing body that issues water-related certifications across North America, comparable to WQA's SCC-accredited Gold Seal program but operating as a broad testing and certification incumbent.
Others
- ANSI (American National Standards Institute): ANSI is the US standards accreditation body that accredits WQA's Gold Seal program. It is not a direct competitor but is the upstream accreditor whose standards and accreditations confer credibility on WQA's certification portfolio.
- ASTM International: ASTM develops technical standards that underpin water treatment testing methods referenced by both WQA and competitors. It is an adjacent standards body rather than a direct certification competitor, but shapes the technical basis for industry certification.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Water Quality association social profiles
Digital presenceWater Quality association compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Water Quality association financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Water Quality association leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Water Quality association subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Water Quality association funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Water Quality association M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
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Frequently asked questions about Water Quality association
What does Water Quality association do?
Water Quality Association (WQA) is a not-for-profit international trade association that provides third-party product certification through its ANSI- and SCC-accredited Gold Seal program and industry-standardized professional certification (CWS, MWS, CWR, CST, CTD, CI) for water treatment professionals. It complements these certification services with membership, education and training, industry advocacy, consumer resources, and research through the affiliated Water Quality Research Foundation (WQRF).
Is Water Quality association a public or private company?
Water Quality association is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Water Quality association founded?
Water Quality association was founded in 1973. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Water Quality association based?
Water Quality association is headquartered in Lisle, United States, in the North America region.
How does Water Quality association make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Membership Dues are the primary driver. The others are product Certification Fees, professional Certification and education and Training.
Who are Water Quality association's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are NSF International, American Water Works Association (AWWA), National Ground Water Association (NGWA), International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) and Water Systems Council (WSC). Broad incumbents are International Code Council (ICC), UL Solutions and CSA Group. Others are ANSI (American National Standards Institute) and ASTM International.
Does Water Quality association have an API?
No public API is recorded for Water Quality association.
What industry is Water Quality association in?
Water Quality association's product category is Water Treatment Certification Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADANAD, Conformity Assessment, Testing, Inspection & Certification Cooperation, with a secondary code of EUANAAAG, Water Quality Monitoring, Compliance & Reporting (Sampling, Lab, Regulatory). Its NAICS code is 54138 and its SIC code is 8734.