Note: This story has been updated with additional information from APSP at the end.

A year and a half early, the California Pool and Spa Association has decided to end its affiliation agreement with the Association of Pool and Spa Professionals.

The agreement was one of several that CPSA announced in March, 2016. This has been part of a movement by many industry associations to find ways to combine resources and create a greater sense of unity. As part of the agreement, APSP was set to provide an agreed-upon amount of resources to help CPSA in its drought battles. The funds were meant for government advocacy and public education to combat widely held beliefs regarding pools and water usage.

Additionally, the associations established a dual membership system, whereby those who signed up for CPSA automatically became APSP members, and vice versa.

The agreement was meant to last until March, 2019. But yesterday, CPSA announced that the agreement is over.

“Recently, APSP made a unilateral decision to commit half of these resources beyond just California and out of the control of the CPSA," said CPSA Chairman Jerry Wallace. "While we might understand their decision, the manner in which it was done and communicated is not conducive to an ongoing partnership."

According to CPSA Executive Director John Norwood, the organization was told the funds will be used in APSP's move to hire a staffer to serve the West, which it announced in July as part of a plan to expand its reach. For some years now, APSP's presence in the west has been less active than in other regions.

CPSA will work with those dual members it has gained since the affiliation began, Norwood said.

Wallace said CPSA fulfilled its obligations regarding the drought, which only ended this year.

“When California faced a historic, five-year drought, CPSA led the effort to defend our industry and members against unwarranted regulations proposed in cities and districts throughout California that would have destroyed our industry,” he said.

While the dry spell may be over, The Golden State continues on track to develop state-wide water-use codes meant to turn conservation into a way of life, following a mandate set forth by Governor Jerry Brown.

"CPSA members know the fight here is not over," Wallace said. "... For that reason, CPSA has decided to terminate our affiliation with APSP."

APSP declined to comment. But in a letter to California members, its president and CEO, Rich Gottwald, said, “[This] it does not end our commitment to our California members. In fact, we are planning to expand our ongoing efforts to collaborate with CPSA and others in the state and throughout the western region ...”

He went on to list ways APSP has supported the California industry, such as working with the California Energy Commission on energy-efficiency standards, providing commentary on potential regulations, and providing CPSA with $175,000 in the last three years. Neither organization said how much APSP provided since their agreement last year.

Gottwald said APSP’s new western staffer will be based in the Golden State and was expected to be in place by early October.