Rural Water Association of Utah

What Rural Water Association of Utah does

Rural Water Association of Utah (RWAU) is a Utah-based, 501(c)-style nonprofit membership association founded in 1980 that serves operators, managers, elected officials, engineers, and consulting firms tied to Utah's water and wastewater systems. Its core mission is training, certification, and advocacy; RWAU claims representation of approximately 95% of Utah's water and wastewater systems and serves as the state's official delegate to the National Rural Water Association. The organization delivers six formal certification tracks (Water, Wastewater, Cross Connection, Water Rights, Water Conservation, and Utility Management), administers proctored exams in coordination with the Utah Division of Drinking Water and Division of Water Quality, runs a registered Apprenticeship Program, and publishes the quarterly Connector magazine and monthly Pump newsletter.

The underlying technology stack is conventional for a membership association. RWAU operates on Novi Association Management Software (Novi AMS) for member services, training registration, marketplace listings, and event management, and integrates with WaterLink (Utah Division of Drinking Water) for CEU tracking. The organization runs a Classifieds marketplace for equipment exchange among utilities, an Employment job board, and an online events calendar, but does not disclose any proprietary technology beyond these integrations.

RWAU's revenue model rests on four streams: recurring annual membership dues across Voting, Associate, Supporting, Individual, and Irrigation tiers; conference and training fees drawn from two annual events (February Annual Conference and August Fall Conference) plus targeted certification courses; certification and proctored exam services delivered with state agency partners; and incidental fees from a small marketplace and store. Specific pricing is not publicly disclosed. Distribution is primarily direct via the website, email, and event registration, with field extension through a Circuit Rider program. The organization employs 14 staff and operates exclusively within Utah, coordinated nationally through NRWA.

Name

Rural Water Association of Utah

Legal name

Rural Water Association of Utah

Website

https://rwau.net

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rural Water Association of Utah is a nonprofit membership association that delivers training, certification, and advocacy for operators and managers of Utah's water and wastewater systems, representing approximately 95% of utilities statewide. It runs annual and fall conferences, a job board, a classifieds marketplace, and a quarterly magazine for the sector.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water and Wastewater Utility Training Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Water & Wastewater Compliance (NPDES/Stormwater, Pretreatment, Drinking Water/SDWA) (EUAHABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG), Water, Wastewater & Stormwater Compliance (BPAHAJAJ)

Keywords

• Water operator training
• Wastewater certification programs
• Utility membership services
• Cross connection testing
• Rural water advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Bluffdale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from Voting Members (water/wastewater systems), Associate Members (supporting firms), Supporting Members, Individual Members, and Irrigation Members. Membership provides access to training, resources, legislative support, and member benefits.
2. Conference & Training Events: Revenue from conference registration fees, certification courses, CEU training sessions, and associated event activities like golf scrambles, sporting clays, and axe throwing events.
3. Marketplace & Classifieds: Platform facilitating equipment and material sales between members and industry partners, with transaction facilitation but no direct commission mentioned.
4. Certification & Testing Services: Proctored exam services and certification program administration for water, wastewater, cross connection, water rights, water conservation, and utility management.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

RWAU is a nonprofit membership association that delivers operator training, professional certification, and continuing education (CEU) programs for Utah's water and wastewater utilities. Its core offerings include six certification tracks (Water, Wastewater, Cross Connection, Water Rights, Water Conservation, Utility Management), two annual conferences, proctored exam services, an apprenticeship program, and member support services (marketplace, job board, legislative advocacy, emergency response coordination via UTWARN).

Product overview

The Rural Water Association of Utah operates as a membership-based professional association offering a unified portfolio of products and services centered on training, certification, and professional development for Utah's water and wastewater industry. The core offering is a comprehensive Training & Certification Program that spans multiple tracks including Water, Wastewater, Cross Connection, Water Rights, Water Conservation, and Utility Management. These training programs are delivered through multiple channels: live events such as the Annual Conference (February) and Fall Conference (August), proctored exam services, and an Apprenticeship Program. The association also provides member services including a Classifieds/Marketplace for equipment exchange, an Employment Services job board, and The Connector Magazine as a quarterly publication. Membership Programs cater to different organizational types (Voting, Associate, Supporting, Individual, and Irrigation Members) with tiered benefits. The organization represents 95% of Utah's water and wastewater systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Membership Programs Tiered annual membership offerings including Voting Member (for water/wastewater systems serving under 10,000 people), Associate Member (for supporting firms, consultants, suppliers, contractors), Supporting Member, Individual Member (for industry professionals not employed by public utilities), and Irrigation Member (for agricultural irrigation entities). Members gain access to training, CEU programs, legislative support, member directory, event registration, and resource library.
• Training & Certification Programs Certification and continuing education (CEU) programs across six professional tracks: Water, Wastewater, Cross Connection, Water Rights, Water Conservation, and Utility Management. Programs are delivered through in-person training sessions, live events, and online platforms, with state agency recognition from the Utah Division of Drinking Water (DDW) and Division of Water Quality (DWQ).
• Annual Conference Major annual conference held each February featuring certification classes, training sessions, exhibits, networking events, awards, scholarships, golf scramble, sporting clays, and Women Working in Water activities. Awards multiple CEUs across tracks and includes state drinking water board meetings.
• Fall Conference Annual fall conference typically held in August featuring industry training, professional development, and networking opportunities for water and wastewater professionals.
• Classifieds / Marketplace

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% market representation of Utah water/wastewater systems
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Rural Water Association (NRWA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNRWA is the nation's largest utility association. RWAU serves as Utah's representative to NRWA, providing access to national resources, training programs, PFAS litigation support, and participation in Rural Water Rally events including the Great American Water Taste Test competition.
• UTWARN (Utah Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUTWARN provides emergency response coordination for water and wastewater utilities in Utah. RWAU links to UTWARN resources and coordinates emergency response support for member systems during incidents such as system failures or contamination events.
• Division of Drinking Water (Utah DEQ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency responsible for regulating public drinking water systems. Partners with RWAU for certification programs, proctored exams, Consumer Confidence Report workshops, and emergency response coordination. Division conducts drinking water board meetings during RWAU conferences.
• Division of Water Quality (Utah DEQ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency regulating wastewater systems and water quality. Partners with RWAU for wastewater operator certification programs, exam administration, and professional development for wastewater professionals.
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency providing regulatory guidance, cybersecurity advisories, PFAS policies, and funding resources for water/wastewater systems. RWAU shares EPA resources with members including drought assistance, infrastructure funding, and cybersecurity threat intelligence.
• Engine (Travel Platform)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerTravel booking platform offered as an exclusive member benefit. Provides 4% cash back on all bookings with no minimums. RWAU staff use the platform for their own travel, demonstrating member value.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Association of State Drinking Water Administrators: Membership association of state drinking water program administrators. Adjacent to RWAU through its DDW/DWQ regulator relationships, though ASDWA represents the state agency side rather than utilities themselves.
• Water Research Foundation: A nonprofit research organization funding water-sector scientific research. Comparable as a water-focused nonprofit but operating in research rather than training/certification delivery.
• WaterISAC: Sector-specific information sharing and analysis center for water utilities on threats and vulnerabilities. Adjacent to RWAU's cybersecurity resource role for member utilities but not a competitor.
• American Backflow Prevention Association: Specialty organization focused on cross-connection control and backflow prevention — directly overlapping with RWAU's Cross Connection certification track, but at a narrower, national specialty level.

Broad incumbents

• Water Environment Federation: A national nonprofit providing technical education and certification for wastewater professionals. Overlaps with RWAU's wastewater operator certification programs but at national breadth and through different certification branding.
• National Association of Clean Water Agencies: National advocacy association for municipal wastewater agencies. Compares to RWAU's legislative advocacy role but serves larger, publicly owned treatment agencies rather than rural systems.
• American Water Works Association: The largest national technical and scientific water association serving the drinking water sector broadly. Overlaps significantly with RWAU's training/certification scope but at national scale and across drinking water rather than RWAU's narrower rural-operator focus.

Direct peers

• Utah Water Users Association: Utah's largest active water users association; operates in an overlapping geographic and policy space with RWAU but with a broader irrigation/user-focused mandate rather than RWAU's operator certification focus.
• National Rural Water Association: The national umbrella organization for state rural water associations; RWAU serves as Utah's representative to NRWA. NRWA provides overarching advocacy, training resources, and the Great American Water Taste Test framework — making it the closest functional peer and parent-like affiliate.
• New Mexico Rural Water Association: A state-level rural water association peer serving New Mexico's water/wastewater systems with training, certification, and advocacy — structurally identical to RWAU, just operating in a different state and at larger scale (5,400+ members cited in RWAU's reference).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/rwautah
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rural-water-association-of-utah

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rural Water Association of Utah