There’s something powerful about being in a room full of people who spend their days thinking about water. Not as an abstract cause, but as infrastructure, innovation, science—and yes, impact.
Last week, we found ourselves right in the heart of that world at WEFTEC 2025 (the Water Environment Federation Technical Exhibition and Conference)—one of the largest annual gatherings of water professionals in North America. Engineers, utilities leaders, technology innovators, and solution-builders from across the industry converge to tackle the technical challenges of water and wastewater management. And this year? Many of them showed up for Surge.
Why This Matters: Bridging Technical Expertise and Community Impact
Here’s what we’re learning: the gap between technical water expertise and community-centered solutions is closing.
Sustainable water access requires both the technical know-how to build systems that last and the community partnership to ensure those systems meet real needs, are maintained locally.
WEFTEC 2025 showed us that more leaders in the water industry are ready to bridge that gap.
Jammin4Water Presents $20,000 Grant
Here’s where it gets even better. Jammin4Water—a fundraising event connected to WEFTEC where water professionals by day become musicians by night—presented Surge with a $20,000 grant. Twenty thousand dollars raised through music, community, and a shared belief that access to safe water should be a given, not a privilege.
This grant will directly support comprehensive Water+ solutions, including safe water, sanitation, hygiene education, and menstrual health programs in Haiti, Indonesia, and Uganda.
H2O Innovation Launches Matching Campaign for Water Nonprofit
And the momentum didn’t stop there. H2O Innovation kicked off a campaign to raise funds for Surge—and they’re matching donations up to $5,000. Every dollar donated to their campaign becomes two. View the campaign here!
This matching gift campaign represents what partnership looks like when it’s rooted in shared mission. Genuine investment in sustainable, locally-driven solutions that center women’s leadership and community ownership.
Getting the Word Out
Behind the scenes, Boeh Agency was hard at work arranging editorial meetings with several publications to help tell Surge’s story within the water industry. Because the more people who know about Water+ solutions—who understand that water, sanitation, hygiene, and menstrual health are inseparable—the closer we get to that vision of reaching 1 million people every single day by 2030.
Executive Water Forum: Building Partnerships for Sustainable Water Solutions
We also had the privilege of catching up with water leaders at the Executive Water Forum hosted by Raymond James. Strategic minds. Bold ideas. Real talk about what it takes to scale impact and build sustainability into the foundation of this work.
And here’s the honest truth: we were so busy connecting, we didn’t take a single picture. Not one. But what we gained in relationships, insights, and momentum? That’s worth more than any photo op.
The Bigger Picture: What Happens When Sectors Collaborate
Here’s our main takeaway from WEFTEC 2025: Real, lasting change happens when technical expertise meets community partnership.
When those two worlds come together—when engineers and innovators show up with solutions and partnership—that’s when we see transformative change.
To everyone who showed up—whether through Jammin4Water, in partnership with H2O Innovation, or in conversation throughout the week—thank you. You’re not just supporting Surge. You’re investing in women’s leadership, in locally-driven solutions, in communities that are building their own sustainable futures.
