The US Water Alliance awarded the US Water Prize to Aurora Water for its Prairie Waters program; Kohler for its water sustainability efforts; and Change the Course for its national freshwater restoration campaign. This year, the Alliance added two new categories to the US Water Prize, Outstanding Journalism on the Value of Water and Outstanding Public Official. Those awards were given to Mark Schleifstein for his decades of reporting on water and the environment at the New Orleans Times-Picayune, and Adam Putnam for his work as Florida Commissioner of Agriculture.
"Awarding the US Water Prize to an incredibly deserving group of organizations and individuals is one of the highlights of our work,” said Radhika Fox, CEO of US Water Alliance. “The Alliance created the US Water Prize to shine a light on the exemplary work happening in the water sector across the country. Congratulations to our winners—you inspire us to secure a sustainable water future for all."
Kevin Shafer, executive director, Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewer District, and chairman of the board, US Water Alliance, added: "The US Water Prize gives us the opportunity to celebrate the innovative and sustainable approaches to water management happening all over the country. Our Water Prize winners know that tackling our nation's water problems is no easy task. But they show us that it's possible if we work together, leverage our resources and remain persistent in the pursuit of breakthroughs."
The awards ceremony took place at the Civic Theater in New Orleans and kicked off One Water Summit 2017. Convened by the US Water Alliance, the One Water Summit 2017 brings together 600 water leaders from across the country to network, engage in dialogues about the most pressing topics in water, and bring actionable ideas back home.
The US Water Alliance thanked its independent review panel for their work in choosing the winners of this year's awards. The panel includes:
- Joel Beauvais, partner, Latham & Watkins LLP;
- Mark LeChevallier, vice president and chief environmental officer, American Water;
- Brian Pallasch, managing director for government relations and infrastructure initiatives, American Society of Civil Engineers;
- Kevin Shafer, executive director, Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District; and
- Jumana Vasi, vice chair, Environmental Grantmakers Assn.
Read more about the 2017 US Water Prize winners here.