During the US Water Alliance One Water Summit in Austin, Texas, six organizations received US Water Prizes for their efforts in changing how water is viewed, valued and managed.
The U.S. Water Prize is awarded to one recipient for each of six categories: Cross-Sector Partnership, Public Sector, Private Sector, Non-Profit, Outstanding Journalism on the Value of Water and Outstanding Public Official.
Watch the video announcement featuring US Water Alliance CEO Radhika Fox.
Read more about this years’ winners in the verbatim release from U.S. Water Alliance below:
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Cross-Sector Partnership. The Camden SMART Initiative won in the Cross-Sector Partnership category. The Initiative brings together institutions of higher education, philanthropy and government to protect human health, foster economic development, improve water quality, and enhance quality of life for residents.
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Public Sector Category. The city of Cedar Rapids, Mich., won in the Public Sector category for its leadership in the Middle Cedar Partnership Project, working with farmers and conservation organizations on water quality and soil health issues along the Cedar River.
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Private Sector Category. Greenprint Partners won in the Private Sector category for its work in Peoria, Ill., where it developed Well Farm, one of the first stormwater farms in the country. Greenprint used its Community Benefits Driven Design process to develop a project that is high-impact and delivers multiple benefits.
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Non-Profit Category. EJ Water Cooperative won the Non-Profit category for its innovative cross-utility work to deliver high quality water and high-speed fiber internet for rural residents in Illinois.
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Outstanding Journalism on the Value of Water. American Public Media and Great Lakes Today won in this category for its balanced reporting to spotlight an issue millions of Americans were unaware of: the struggle to afford water service, despite living in an area rich with water resources.
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Outstanding Public Official. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti won the Outstanding Public Official award for his commitment to progressive water policy and ambitious water recycling plans for Los Angeles. This year Mayor Garcetti announced Los Angeles will recycle 100% of its wastewater by 2035.
Read more articles about one water and U.S. Water Prize Winners of previous years:
Listen to episode six of Talking Under Water with DigDeep for an interview with the 2018 US Water Prize winner in the Non-profit category.