History

Early History

In the early years of statehood, an organization called the Arizona Public Health Association was established to address the needs of water supply and waste disposal by public and private organizations with the new state.  To separate the public health aspects of the medical treatment of water and water-borne diseases, the Arizona Water & Pollution Control Association (AWPCA) was split from the Public Health Association in 1928, the same year the Water Pollution Control Federation (WPCF) was formed.  AWPCA became a member association of the WPCF (now known as the Water Environment Federation - WEF), and the Arizona section of the American Water Works Association (AWWA).

The primary functions of AWPCA were education and the dissemination of information for providing safe water and for the reclamation of wastewater.  To this end, AWPCA established a voluntary certification program to certify the level of competence in water and sewage treatment.  The certification program became a mandatory requirement of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) in 1973.

Our first newsletter from July 1938 (350KB - PDF)

www.sewerhistory.org