Effective date: August 21, 2026.
Acceptance and scope
These Terms govern use of cywater.org and CYWater's account, membership, event, forum and association-program services. By creating an account, submitting content, registering for an event or purchasing a membership, a user agrees to these Terms and the policies identified at the relevant form or checkout. If a user cannot lawfully accept them, the user must not use the service.
Accounts and security
Users must provide accurate current information, maintain one account per person unless CYWater authorizes otherwise, protect their credentials and promptly report suspected unauthorized use. Accounts and membership benefits are personal and may not be sold, shared or transferred except under a published CYWater rule.
Membership, events and partnerships
An account is not itself a paid membership. Membership begins only when the applicable payment or authorized administrative action is recorded. The level, price, term and benefits are those displayed at checkout and in the member account. Event registration is a separate purchase governed by event-specific terms. Institutional partnership is a separate Board and MOU process and is not individual membership.
Membership and event payments are governed by the Billing, Cancellation and Refund Policy. All membership sales are final and non-refundable. Cancelling future renewal does not refund the current membership term. Event and program payments remain separate and are governed by the terms displayed for that event or program.
Acceptable use and community conduct
CYWater services may be used only for lawful scientific, educational, professional and association purposes. Users must not impersonate another person; harass or threaten others; publish unlawful, deceptive, infringing or malicious material; scrape or automate access without permission; interfere with security or availability; attempt unauthorized access; or misuse personal information obtained through CYWater.
CYWater may review, moderate, restrict or remove content and may suspend an account when reasonably necessary to enforce these Terms, protect users or services, comply with law, or investigate abuse. Serious or repeated violations may result in termination without refund to the extent permitted by law.
User content and intellectual property
Users retain ownership of content they submit unless a specific program agreement states otherwise. By submitting content for publication, a user grants CYWater a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, reproduce, format and display that content only as reasonably needed to operate, promote and archive the relevant CYWater service or program. The user represents that the content is lawful and that the user has the rights needed to grant this license.
Logo Call entrants retain rights in non-selected work. The submission license is limited to administration, review and voting. Selection does not transfer ownership: permanent use, modification or trademark registration requires a separate written assignment or license approved by the Board.
CYWater content and third-party services
CYWater's name, site design, publications and other association materials may not be copied or used to imply endorsement without permission. Links and services supplied by Stripe, Hostinger, WordPress, Postmark or other providers are also governed by their own terms. CYWater is not responsible for third-party services outside its reasonable control.
Availability and disclaimers
CYWater may change, suspend or discontinue a service for maintenance, security, legal or organizational reasons. Services and informational content are provided on a reasonable-efforts and "as available" basis. They are not legal, medical, financial or engineering advice. To the maximum extent permitted by law, CYWater disclaims implied warranties and is not liable for indirect, incidental, special or consequential loss. Nothing in these Terms excludes liability or consumer rights that cannot lawfully be excluded.
Changes, governing law and contact
Material changes will be posted with a revised effective date and, when appropriate, communicated to affected users. Continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance where permitted by law. Questions may be sent to contact@cywater.org.