The US Water Alliance announced the 2022 winners of its annual US Water Prize. The US Water Prize recognizes the individuals and organizations that are driving innovation in the water sector and imagining new possibilities in water.
Challenges in the water sector – and across the nation – are growing and are increasingly exacerbated by climate change. Water is often one of the first places climate impacts are felt by the public, particularly for low-income and communities of color. The Alliance estimates that 2,000,000 individuals across all 50 states experience a lack of access to clean drinking water and sanitation.
“With increasing water pressures on communities, the time is now for One Water leaders to be recognized for their inspiring, innovative, and scalable work on One Water solutions,” said Mami Hara, Alliance CEO. “This year’s winners were selected from a very impressive slate of nominees. It’s incredible to see how One Water is being expressed across sectors to ensure a sustainable water future for all.”
US Water Alliance Board Chair OJ McFoy says: “We want to thank our US Water Prize winners and applicants for envisioning a sustainable water future for our country and undertaking the hard work to make it happen. We are excited to honor our impressive slate of diverse winners this year.”
The 2022 One Water Prize winners are:
- Outstanding Public Sector Organization: City and County of Honolulu - An innovative evolution of city-scale One Water plans, the City and County of Honolulu is a standout whole-of-government approach to holistic water management. This plan further raises the bar with its integration into state policy.
- Outstanding Private Sector Organization: Schneider Electric/Willingboro Municipal Utilities Authority - A public-private partnership for mutual benefit of the utility and the community, this project helped control costs while overhauling the utility‘s energy and metering systems.
- Outstanding Nonprofit Organization: Healthy Community Services - For their “Water Wise 7th Ward” project, Healthy Community Services won for focusing on resident-led green infrastructure education in majority-Black New Orleans Ward plagued by chronic flooding.
- Outstanding Cross-Sector Partnership: Jordan Lake One Water - An impressive cross-sector model for water management, Jordan Lake One Water unified diverse stakeholders around an integrated One Water approach to management in the region. They are also working directly with policymakers to embed One Water into state and local policy.
- Outstanding Public Official: Governor Tony Evers – Governor Evers has made water a top priority during his campaigns and in office as Wisconsin’s Governor. His bold and collaborative approach has successfully found consensus with a range of stakeholders to develop One Water solutions for the state.
- Outstanding Rising One Water Leader: Maura Jarvis – A rising star in the water sector, Maura is recognized for her work at Philadelphia Water Department in public engagement, building trust, and fostering collaborative possibility thinking around water. Her vision for the public sector is leaders that reflect the communities they serve.
- Outstanding Artist: Jourdan Imani Keith – An outstanding poet and spoken word artist, Jourdan’s work with Seattle Public Utilities has elevated water and connected environmental and social messages in a deeply personal way.
- Outstanding One Water Communication: Great Lakes News Collaborative – a slate of excellent and comprehensive coverage of water issues in the Great Lakes, these journalists are effectively driving the public conversation around water, the environment, and affordability.
The 2022 US Water Prize winners were selected from a pool of more than 160 nominations and applications. The awards celebration will take place on Tuesday, September 13 at 7:00pm CT in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as part of the One Water Summit 2022.
Follow the discussion and submit questions in advance on Twitter using #USWaterPrize and tagging @USWaterAlliance. Learn more about the US Water Prize 2022 winners and past winners here.
