Who We Are
The Water Research Foundation (WRF) is the leading research organization advancing the science of all water to meet the evolving needs of its subscribers and the water sector. WRF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, educational organization that funds, manages, and publishes research on the technology, operation, and management of drinking water, wastewater, reuse, and stormwater systems—all in pursuit of ensuring water quality and improving water services to the public.
WRF was formed in 2018 through the integration of three highly respected research collaboratives: WateReuse Research Foundation, Water Environment Research Foundation, and Water Research Foundation. Separately, these organizations focused on research to support varied segments of the water sector—water reuse, wastewater and stormwater, and drinking water, respectively. Now a One Water organization, WRF delivers the research programming the sector needs to address the most pressing water issues holistically.
Our Mission
To help our subscribers discover opportunities and solve problems by delivering actionable water research to meet the needs of the communities they serve.
- We partner with our subscribers and the water community to develop and advance our research agenda.
- We produce the highest quality research and provide resources for our subscribers to put that research into action.
- We maintain our position as a trusted, independent source of water science.
Our Outcomes
- There’s continuous improvement in utility operations (what they do and how they do it).
- The knowledge we develop is applied across the water sector.
- We’re prepared for the next opportunities and challenges.
- There’s strong trust and confidence in us, our outputs, and our community.
We explore in all directions.
We create space to explore up and down the organization, across and outside our sector, through new ideas and by building on past achievements, and from failure to success so we can improve and grow. We explore approaches before settling on a solution. We bring our findings back to further our work.
When we speak, we strive to put ourselves in the other person’s shoes.
We provide a safe space for people to contribute, and we listen actively and think carefully about how the other person will hear what we say. We’re considerate of other people’s perspectives and experiences so we can both include and support them. We appreciate they may have context we do not. We empower each other to self-advocate while respecting each other’s roles.