Established: 1974
The Water Quality Association (WQA) is an international trade organization serving the residential, commercial, industrial and small system water treatment industry. It was created in 1974 following the merger of two predecessor organizations: the Water Conditioning Association International and the Water Conditioning Foundation. The formation of WQA created a single industry voice to address rapidly growing industry challenges and opportunities for the water treatment professional.

Membership
WQA Membership is made up of five sections: manufacturers, retail channel, dealers, industrial and international. Members of the board of directors serve three-year terms. Each of the WQA classes of membership (manufacturer/supplier, retailer/dealer, and commercial/industrial) elects members to represent their section on the board.

There are currently 24 members of the WQA board. Eight of them serve as the board of governors for the group.

Mission Statement
WQA is a not-for-profit international trade association representing the household, commercial, industrial and small community water treatment industry. WQA maintains a close dialogue with other organizations representing different aspects of the water industry in order to best serve consumers, government officials and industry members. WQA is a resource and information source, a voice for the industry, an educator for professionals, a laboratory for product testing and a communicator to the public.

Notable Achievements

• Being an integral part of its members' business operations as a low-cost back-office that creates new opportunities for their businesses.
  
  
• Getting involved in California product registration reform.
  
  
• Overturning water softener bans or restrictions in six states as well as in local municipalities.

Current Priority Projects

• Coordinating a project with Inland Empire to explore ways to get individuals to voluntarily upgrade their water softeners to more efficient equipment.
  
  
• Organizing opposition of Canada's attempt to create its own additional set of tests and standards for the industry's equipment. WQA prefers that Canada comply with existing NSF standards.

A Word With…Peter J. Censky, executive director of WQA

When asked what's in store for 2006, Peter J. Censky said, “The water treatment industry continues to grow in size and importance - and WQA along with it. Innovation, intense competition and regulatory burdens are driving forces for change and growth. WQA has worked for our members to alleviate product registration delays, expand market opportunities and promote the acceptance of WQA and ANSI-accredited product certifications, and this will continue. We are also working to expand our educational program to strengthen industrial offerings and applications.

WQA Aquatech USA continues to grow as the water opportunity show. With record-breaking attendance in 2005 and this year, this reinvented and evolving trade show creates new and profitable opportunities in the household, commercial and light- and medium-industrial water markets. Next year's event in Orlando, FL, March 27-31, 2007, promises to be even better. More information can be found on our Web site, www.wqa.org.”

Current Officers and Board of Governors

WQA PRESIDENT
Neil J. Desmond, CWS-IV
Pentair Filtration Inc. - Pentek

WQA IMMEDIATE-PAST PRESIDENT
Gerald Dierolf, CWS-IV, CI
Gerry's Culligan Water Conditioning

WQA VICE PRESIDENT
Dennis Rupert, CWS-II, CI
Rupert's Culligan Water Cond.

WQA TREASURER
Richard F. Elliott
GE Water & Process Technologies

WQA GOVERNOR-AT-LARGE
M. Stanley Fauth, CWS-VI, CI
Fauth Appliance Inc.

WQA GOVERNOR-AT-LARGE
Bruce Keswick
P & G Health Sciences Institute

WQA GOVERNOR-AT-LARGE
Douglas T. White
Watts Water Technology/Flowmatic/Alamo

WQA SECRETARY
Vincent M. Kent, CWS-I, CI
Abendroth Water Conditioning Inc.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Peter J. Censky
WQA