MONTEREY, Calif., May 10, 2002 -- The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) on Friday presented its prestigious Clair A. Hill Award to Mid-Peninsula Water District. The district was honored for its innovative classroom curriculum, "Our Water," which combines water education with instruction in the arts.
The award was presented to the district during the ACWA 2002 Spring Conference, a statewide event attended by more than 2,000 water officials. Mid-Peninsula was selected from among finalists in four categories to receive the award.
"Mid-Peninsula's program is an outstanding example of the commitment and creativity of California water agencies," ACWA President Bette Boatmun said. "By thinking outside the box, the district was able to bring important water knowledge to the classroom, and at the same time give students invaluable exposure to the arts."
Mid-Peninsula Water District partnered with Kollage Community School for the Arts to develop the program. ACWA's Clair A. Hill Water Agency Award for Excellence is an annual program that recognizes outstanding achievements by public water agencies. The winning agency receives a $3,000 scholarship to award to a deserving student in the name of Clair A. Hill, founder of the consulting engineering firm CH2M Hill. The winner is recognized at the association's conference as well as throughout the year.
Finalists for this year's award and their categories included:
* Operations: Alameda County Water District, for its unidirectional water main flushing program.
* Environment: El Dorado Irrigation District, for its major remediation and restoration effort on Weber Creek.
* Public Education / Information: Mid-Peninsula Water District, for its innovative school education curriculum that combines water education and arts instruction.
* Innovations: Padre Dam Municipal Water District, for its efforts to implement cost-saving and revenue-generating strategies to make it competitive with private utilities.
The Clair A. Hill award was established by ACWA in 1988 at the request of CH2M Hill. Past award recipients include Irvine Ranch Water District (1989), Las Virgenes Municipal Water District (1990), Imperial Irrigation District (1991) Modesto Irrigation District (1992), Orange County Water District (1993), Central Basin Municipal Water District / West Basin Municipal Water District (1994), East Bay Municipal Utility District (1995), Calleguas Municipal Water District (1996), San Diego County Water Authority (1997), Kern Water Bank Authority (1998), Western Canal Water District (1999), the Water Forum (2000), and Eastern Municipal Water District (2001).
To learn more about the award winner and finalists, or to obtain contact information for those agencies, contact ACWA of 916/441-4545 or visit www.acwanet.com.
ACWA is a statewide association whose 440 members are responsible for about 90% of the water delivered in California. For more information, visit www.acwanet.com.
