Where Water Flows, Equality Grows: World Water Day and Great Lakes RCAP’s Women-Led Work Across Rural America

Where Water Flows, Equality Grows: World Water Day and Great Lakes RCAP’s Women-Led Work Across Rural America

With a theme of “Where Water Flows, Equality Grows,” designated by the United Nations, World Water Day 2026 calls on the world to center women and girls in water solutions, focusing on women’s leadership roles in providing essential water and wastewater solutions throughout the world.

The Great Lakes Community Action Partnership (GLCAP) Rural Community Assistance Program (RCAP) recognizes the important role women leaders play in providing water security at every level within the communities RCAP serves. Some examples from GLCAP RCAP include:

• In McDowell County, West Virginia, historic flooding in 2025 wiped out roads, bridges, and water lines, leaving thousands without drinking water. RCAP’s Mary Hutson stepped in alongside local officials, coordinating operators, mobilizing field crews, and securing testing support until service was restored, and boil‑water notices lifted.
• Hundreds of miles away in Vassar, Michigan, a mother searching for answers about her son’s unexplained health issues turned to Great Lakes RCAP’s Private Well Program for help. GLCAP Senior Rural Development Specialist Amy Hatfield, guided by RCAP’s nonregulatory model, conducted comprehensive well testing, bacteria, metals, PFAS, VOCs, while offering steady communication and emotional support. The results ultimately brought relief, showing no immediate cause for concern.
• Meanwhile, in Duffy, Ohio, a decades-long struggle with wastewater contamination finally reached resolution with the opening of a new treatment plant in late 2024. Great Lakes RCAP staff, including Julie Ward, Heidi Milner, Nathan Davis, and Misty Tolzda, helped reshape a once‑unattainable regional plan into a feasible, phased approach that secured over $4.6 million in funding. The system now protects public health, restores the river, and sets the stage for future expansion.

This World Water Day, GLCAP RCAP recognizes our women leaders and all staff who play a role in helping families and communities find solutions to water and wastewater needs. More information on GLCAP’s RCAP program is available at www.glcap.org/rcap.