Message from Kristin Johansen, President of RMWEA November 2025
Agua es Vida, Water is Life!
It is an honor to introduce myself, Kristin Johansen, as the 2025-2026 Rocky Mountain Water Environment Association (RWMEA) President.
I would like to begin by expressing appreciation to Past President Clay Rahn for his leadership over the previous year. Clay and a dedicated group of volunteers stewarded important initiatives for our organization, and I’m excited to keep the momentum rolling!
RMWEA has had several presidents from New Mexico since the organization was founded in 1936 (then known as the Rocky Mountain Sewage Works Association). The first president from New Mexico was P.S. Fox in 1940, of Santa Fe, when the price of membership was only $3 - what a deal! From 1936 to 1976, the organization saw presidents from Santa Fe, Lordsburg, Carlsbad, University Park, Los Alamos, and Roswell. The New Mexico Operator School was founded in 1946; in the same year, the annual conference was held in Santa Fe after Charles G Caldwell of the New Mexico Department of Public Health insisted that Santa Fe be considered along with Cheyenne as a venue, and the conference broke an attendance record with 30 attendees from New Mexico. My term began at the annual Rocky Mountain Water Conference held in Keystone, Colorado, where we celebrated a record of over 1500 attendees! I am humbled to follow the late Joseph Chwirka (Past President, 2001) as the 2nd RMWEA President from New Mexico in the last 25 years.
As I embark on my term and busy myself digging into RMWEA history, I am reminiscent about my professional journey. All of us have a water story – the story of how we became involved in the water industry. I knew that I wanted to be a water engineer from an early age because I was fascinated by city planning and biology. I was intrigued by the aspects of the city and environment that are “out of sight, out of mind”, from sewer collection systems below grade to microscopic water bears (Tardigrades) that can survive for thousands of years in a desiccated state. I wanted every citizen to know where their water comes from and for global communities to have access to sanitation and clean, reliable water.
My first job was in 2005 with the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment (CDPHE), where I conducted wastewater treatment plant inspections. Since then, I have served as a regulator, engineering consultant, contract operator, farmer, firefighter, research scientist, teacher, community engineer in Asia, and engineer for public municipalities. In 2016, I moved from Colorado to New Mexico to pursue my dream of qualifying for the Olympics in the marathon while working as a full-time engineer – I’m known as the “Correcamino” or Roadrunner for saving time by running to my project sites.
My journey has shown me that there are countless avenues to work in the water industry. Whether you have a CDL or an operator license or you’re interested in IT, maintenance, communications, chemistry, government affairs, engineering, industrial treatment, electronics, safety, or composting, there exists a niche and place for everyone to make not just a living, but an impact. Within RMWEA, there are a plethora of ways to be involved. I started my involvement in RMWEA in 2011 as a member of the University of Colorado Boulder Student Chapter and participated in the Student Design Competition where our team won the national competition at WEFTEC. I later joined the Young Professionals Committee, served as Biosolids Committee Chair, founded the New Mexico Professional Wastewater Operator (PWO) Seminar, and currently am a member of the Innovative Water Technology, New Mexico RIO, and Government Affairs Committees. Through networking and knowledge sharing, RMWEA has empowered me to be curious and innovative and to challenge myself in new roles to advance my career and those of others.
Our industry today faces a variety of challenges, but there is an opportunity to have nimble approaches to innovation, the theme of this publication issue. In 1982 RMWEA President Bob Hegg wrote, “... Our industry is rapidly changing in the face of increasing financial austerity brought on by major government funding cutbacks and increasing citizen concern about ever increasing taxes and inflation. These concerns are often apparently in direct conflict with concerns of protecting our natural resources, especially water. This potential and often real conflict will require innovative and aggressive solutions if a successful balance is to be achieved.” Despite the changing times, many of the challenges and the dedicated approach of our organization have not changed.
In the upcoming year, I aim to promote two main initiatives: 1) Regional Outreach and 2) Workforce Development.
- Regional Outreach – The purpose of this goal is to extend and expand our geographic outreach to outside of the Denver-metro area, Wyoming, and New Mexico. At our Summer Planning Meeting held in Salida, Colorado in July, we heard from guest speakers David Lady (Director Public Works, Town of Salida) and Greg Felt (General Manager, Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District) about the importance of collaboration and creative partnerships with other organizations to achieve broader outreach, tackle challenges, and offer mutual support.
- Workforce Development – The top priority goal of the 5-Year Strategic Plan is workforce development, which aims to attract and retain the next generation of professionals to fill gaps created by retirees in the workforce. The objectives are to increase awareness of water sector careers among students, educators, and career transitioners and to support continuous learning, professional development, and mobility within the current water workforce. This includes developing a regional water career ambassador program, a “Why work in water” campaign, enhancing the RMWEA Job Board, expanding mentorship programs, and continuing to deliver high-quality training events for our members.
If you are interested in volunteering for a workgroup or sharing ideas on either initiative, or if you would like to get involved with RMWEA, please contact me at
kjohansen.rmwea@gmail.com. I’d love to hear from you!
Thank you all for serving our members, industry, communities, and the environment. Cheers to the year ahead – as we say in New Mexico, “Agua es Vida, Water is Life!”
2025 Summer Planning Meeting – Browns Canyon, Arkansas River
2020 US Olympic Team Trials, Atlanta, GA
From the RMWEA archives
