The National Water Safety Congress celebrated its 50^th birthday April 9th, 2001. The NWSC was formed in 1951 in response to a multiple fatality boating accident that occurred in the Nashville, Tennessee area. From an inauspicious beginning the National Water Safety Congress has grown to embrace not only boating safety but to embrace many different aspects of water safety. Beach safety, multiple use waterway management, marina safety, hydropower industry issues related to water safety, mobilization of local resources to address water safety issues, and conflicts between commercial interests and recreational boaters are some of the numerous issues that are continuing to be addressed by the NWSC. The inclusion of a varied number of issues such as these under the umbrella of the National Water Safety Congress has allowed our organization to meet the needs of a diverse membership and population.

Since its inception, the National Water Safety Congress Awards Program has recognized over 4,000 individuals and organizations for their efforts in boating and water safety. From park rangers to educators to boating enforcement officers, recognition has been extended to those who are making the difference at the local, state, and regional level. The National Award of the National Water Safety Congress has been awarded to groups such as the National Safe Boating Council, Miller Brewing Company, Yamaha Corporation, American Red Cross, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the United States Coast Guard.

Local and regional water safety councils have always been an important component of the Congress. Support to existing water safety councils and promotion of new councils is and always will be one of the missions of the National Water Safety Congress. Local water and boating safety problems are best addressed by the local agencies and individuals closest to the problem. It is the goal of the Congress to provide the support and tools necessary for local water safety councils to address and resolve these issues. Support such as the local water safety council grant program and revision of the chartering kit to foster new councils are only two aspects of the renewed emphasis on supporting and fostering local water safety councils.

The Guide for Multiple Use Waterway Management was a Wallop Breaux funded project produced by the National Water Safety Congress in 1996. The Guide has proven to be a powerful tool for planners and managers to use to address problems of increasing and varied use of our nations lakes and waterways. Trying to satisfy the varied and often conflicting uses of our waterways by commercial interests, recreational interests, power boaters, sailboats, personal watercraft, and other users has proven to be difficult. The information contained in the Guide has fostered a new sense of cooperation between individuals, companies, and agencies that have vested interests in our lakes and waterways. The proposed revision of the Guide by the Congress will expand and update this document to make it more useable and available through Internet access.

The National Water Safety Congress looks forward to the challenges of the next fifty years. Through our strategic planning process, we will continue to define the mission and focus of the Congress to provide the greatest benefit to the public and assist our partners in making our lakes, rivers, and waterways safe for all users.  

The National Water Safety Congress and National Safe Boating Council sponsors the International Boating and Water Safety Summit.