On Sept. 13, the U.S. Water Alliance announced the winners of its annual U.S. Water Prize in Milwaukee, Wis.
The U.S. Water Prize recognizes individuals and organizations for driving innovation in the water sector and imagining new possibilities in water.
“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,” says 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.”
The 2022 U.S. Water Prize winners were selected from a pool of more than 160 nominations and applications. The awards celebration took place as part of the One Water Summit on Tuesday, Sept. 13 in Milwaukee, Wis.
The 2022 U.S. Water Prize winners, and the Alliance’s descriptions of them, 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 takes a standout whole-of-government approach to holistic water management. These plans further raise the bar with their 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, these parties collaboratively developed a project to help 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 a 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 constituents 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 partners 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.
“We want to thank our U.S. Water Prize winners and applicants for envisioning a sustainable water future for our country and undertaking the hard work to make it happen,” says US Water Alliance Board Chair OJ McFoy. “We are excited to honor our impressive slate of diverse winners this year.”
