Part 1: Lessons and Best Practices from Chicago (3/10/2026)

This learning session will provide a brief overview of the best practices and tools included in Keep the Water Flowing: Best Practices for Avoiding Water Shutoffs. It will feature lessons learned from a non-profit-municipal partnership in Chicago, IL. Anna-Lisa Gonzales Castle, the Director of Water Policy at Elevate, along with Kat Wheeler (Deputy Director) and LaKesha Gage-Woodard (Director of Public Affairs) from the City of Chicago’s Department of Finance will be speaking about their work around water shutoffs. Following their presentation, there will be an open Q&A session.

Additional Information

River Network’s newest resource, Keep the Water Flowing: Best Practices for Avoiding Water Shutoffs, includes background information on the problem of water affordability concerns, how the practice of water shutoffs harms households and communities, and highlights three case studies of water utilities and community groups tackling affordability issues with empathetic, innovative programs and policies.

Part 2: The Community Forum (3/24/2026)

This second session will provide an opportunity to brainstorm and discuss how to implement these best practices with fellow advocates and River Network staff. If there are questions you would like to be specifically discussed, please submit them with your registration or via email (send to Shelby Cline). Join us to connect with other network members and learn more! You can sign up for one or both of these learning sessions.

We created this resource so that both community groups and utility leaders can feel equipped with the knowledge, capacity, and confidence to advocate and implement best practices to reduce or eliminate the use of water shutoffs.

Register for one or both learning sessions here