Toho Water Authority (Toho) has received national recognition as a “Utility of the Future Today” for the sixth year in a row for continuously improving its operations, especially in the area of energy efficiency. Toho’s participation in the Florida Municipal Solar Project solar credit program was part of the highlights for the award. Toho is one of 47 water, wastewater utilities honored this year for transformational work combating water system challenges through community engagement, resource recovery and watershed stewardship.
Toho was recently recognized at the Water Environment Federation’s Technical Exhibition and Conference (WEFTEC) 2023 in Chicago.
The Utility of the Future Today program was founded in 2016 with input from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and is sponsored by the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), the Water Environment Federation (WEF), the Water Environment & Reuse Foundation (WE&RF) and the WateReuse Association.
The key areas of focus of the “Utility of the Future Today” honor are to:
recover and find new uses for a range of resources
engage as a full water cycle leader with broad social, economic and environmental sustainability within the community
transform the internal utility culture to support innovation
form necessary partnerships when operating outside of the traditional span of the utility
Recognition as the “Utility of the Future Today” celebrates the achievements of water utilities that are transformative as a water treatment system to form a resource recovery center and to engage the communities they serve through leadership in sustainability and resilience. This recognition further serves to educate fellow utilities by sharing what was learned to encourage mutual learning and innovation.
“Of all the challenges faced by our cities and the environment, water is at the top of the list for many communities. Water utilities are the front line in tackling these challenges,” says Todd Swingle, CEO and Executive Director of Toho, which was among this year’s honorees. “The ‘Utility of the Future Today’ program helps us mark our progress in meeting the changing needs of the communities we serve as we deliver on a sustainable future that prioritizes resilience through a strategy of resource conservation
and recovery.”
