Bringing the power, opportunity and creativity of the law to the problems facing water
Interview with Luke Wilson – Deputy Director
1. Tell us about the Center for Water Security and Cooperation (CWSC) and its impact
The CWSC brings the power, opportunity and creativity of the law to bear on the problems facing water. Law has the singular and profound power to create rights and obligations for millions of people instantaneously, building protections and guarantees where there were none and righting wrongs. When laws are passed, the change is structural, societal, and generational. The words we write matter. They also require action and ongoing nurturing to work properly–you cannot just write it and forget it. The CWSC work and impact focuses on rewriting the rulebook and words which guide our decision-making where they are too weak or nonexistent to deliver water for human existence and innovation; building water champions in our communities, legislatures, and governments; making sure people know and understand the law; and ensuring the law is implemented to deliver what we need.
2. Your organization formed in 2015, what was the impetus? Why water law?
Two things. First, water is central to human existence and to human innovation. Yet it is often an afterthought. We wanted to build an organization that put water at the center of our thinking. Second, law is the foundation and impetus for action. If our laws do not reflect the value of water, then our actions won’t reflect the value of water. We knew we needed an organization solely dedicated to achieving water security, by putting humans and water at the center of our rulebooks.
Before we started the CWSC–in our early professional life–we had the chance to see how bad law and no law can exacerbate inequality, impede progress, and protect bad actors. We also saw how good law changes futures and protects humans. Our frustration motivated us. It made us angry that the very law that should be protecting humans was being neglected, not enforced, or was just bad for us to begin with. And through these experiences we realized a key truth: no rules means no water. In spite of these flaws and the harms, we see the promise of the law and the opportunity to make systemic, long-lasting changes for millions of people that will enable humans to achieve water security.
Our work celebrates that water is a connector. Everything is water. Agriculture and food, energy, commerce, transportation, religion, industry and manufacturing, nature, health, peace–it is central to our existence. If you can have a profound effect on water, those changes will radiate out throughout all of these areas. The opportunities are inspiring and awesome.
3. You all don’t just work in the US can you share some of the international work you have done?
We’ve worked on a lot of different projects around the world. We have worked to visualize and illustrate the impact of laws on water security in order to empower communities, legislatures, and governments to build, strengthen, and implement their laws. The methodology we developed makes sense of the complexity of laws influencing water security. Our expert teams in several African countries applied that methodology to build a water security and WASH law platform that democratizes the law and makes the law easier to understand and use. The RENEWAL Platform is available at law.thecwsc.org.
Our work has also focused on water diplomacy, cooperation, and water law revitalization. In El Salvador, we helped the national government to pass their first-ever national water law after a ten year political stalemate. We are working with the government of South Sudan to help them achieve that first milestone as well. We’ve offered technical assistance in water law interpretation and development to governments and nonprofits across Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. We have helped bridge diplomatic relationships between governments to address water and climate issues cooperatively. We have also written about the importance of having robust national water laws in order to support transboundary management and relationships. We have also spoken to the importance of international law and norms.
4. Tell us about your new initiative focused on the Mississippi River Watershed. Why do leaders along the river need to be mobilized?
We are building a regional network of people and policies across the Mississippi River watershed as a foundation for collaboration and ultimately the development of an interstate water compact and commission for the watershed. Without formal mechanisms for collaboration, elected leaders, communities, and organizations are isolated from each other and left to tackle complex issues alone. Droughts, floods, saltwater intrusion, pollution, and other threats are multiplying in the watershed. Without regional cooperation and co-management, the future of the watershed and the communities within is at risk. That’s where our efforts to mobilize leaders up and down the watershed comes in.
We are breaking down the barriers and creating the space for the future of the Mississippi River watershed to be imagined collectively and for a shared identity to be defined. Leaders will define shared values and principles for the watershed, which will be used to inform the development of an interstate water compact. Furthermore, the Network creates a mechanism by which leaders can learn from each other, share challenges, exchange ideas, co-create solutions, and bring greater visibility to their efforts.
5. You host a Water Utility Leadership Fellowship, can you share what occurs during the fellowship and a success story from one of the utilities who have participated.
Our Fellowship (WULF) is designed to pull from the ranks of the rising stars–the future leaders–of utilities of all kinds (regional, small city, large city, water, wastewater, etc.). With the close involvement of the utility’s leadership, these engineers, communications specialists, conservation specialists, customer service representatives, and others work individually and as a cohort to create access and affordability plans for their utility. These plans reflect the economic and environmental needs of both the community and the utility. Through the WULF program, these professionals learn about the utility and the community, while getting space to think about and discuss new, creative approaches that will keep customers connected. Our program provides them with insight into the laws, regulations and policies that govern service provision and exposes them to thought leaders from community activists to regulators to policymakers to foreign utility leaders.
We give them the space to learn, help them collect data to make smart decisions, help them to think about what access means, and to think critically about how to become a more successful utility, all while working with them to understand the laws and policies underpinning their work. Through this we help these leaders look beyond their individual responsibilities to understand how utilities operate as anchor institutions in complex communities and how affordability for customers is driven by factors like source water quality and overall management. Our goal is to mold the fellows into the next generation of leaders in their utility and their community and into mentors for other rising leaders around them.
A number of our fellows have implemented final affordability plans that have improved service. Our fellow from St. Paul, Minnesota, in addition to rising to become the GM, has also implemented a series of advanced affordability tracking and tailored programs that have improved access to water in the St. Paul region. Our fellows in Philadelphia launched a comprehensive water access and affordability survey of citizens in the city, which yielded data that has helped improve their existing programs. Finally, our fellow in Arkansas created and presented a novel approach that placed the regional supplier in a position to improve affordability for all of its retail customers. The successes have shown us that giving these leaders this guidance, training, and space to learn and think can lead to amazing outcomes.
6. What are you most excited about when thinking about CWSC’s work in 2026?
You’ll be hearing a lot more from us! In September we launched a Newsletter for leaders in the Mississippi River watershed, and it has not only been fun to think of creative ways to share information and talk about the issues but has been a great platform for engaging people. Soon we will be launching a new podcast and relaunching our CWSC Newsletter. So keep an eye out for those!