2014 Water Prize Ceremony
On April 7th, the U.S. Water Alliance held their 2014 Water Prize ceremony in Washington, D.C. to celebrate innovations in the water sector. The event was attended by an array of Federal, state, and local water professionals, including ASDWA staff. The keynote speakers were EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and Deputy Secretary of the Department of the Interior, Michael Connor. The following is a thumbnail sketch of each of the four prize recipients’ accomplishments:
- Alliance for Water Efficiency: This relatively new non-profit organization has been working very effectively to integrate water efficiency into resources management, climate resiliency, and energy policy planning (www.a4we.org).
- American Water: The company’s Environmental and Stewardship Team’s Innovation Development Process was recognized. The Team has been seeking new, cost effective and sustainable solutions so that innovative technologies can be evaluated and adoption and market penetration of products and services can be accelerated.
- Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati: MSD’s “Lower Mill Creek” solution to CSOs has involved a sustainable remedy for eliminating 1.78 billion gallons of CSOs annually by reducing amounts of stormwater entering combined systems during heavy rains, thereby combining green and grey infrastructure solutions.
- Orange County Water & Sanitation Districts: A joint initiative of the two districts is “Groundwater Replenishment Systems”, the world’s largest advanced water purification system for potable water reuse. This collaborative effort between the Orange County Water District and the Orange County Sanitation District produces 70 MGD.
For more information about the U.S. Water Alliance and the U.S Water Prize event, please visit http://www.uswateralliance.org/u-s-water-prize/.
