U.S. Water Alliance가 워싱턴 D,C에 위치한 미국 지리학 협회 본사에서 U.S. Water Prize 수상식을 개최했다. 수상식에서 Alliance for Water Efficiency, Chicago, IL; American Water, Voorhees, NJ; Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati, OH; and Orange County Water District and Sanitation District, CA가 상을 받았다.

환경보호국장 Gina McCarthy 은 수상자들의 업적과 환경보호국의 업무를 관련짓고, 수질 환경법에 따라 습지와 강을 보호하기 위한 주요 제안과 국가 수도를 보호하기 위해 계속 되는 노력에 대해 토론했다.

또한, McCarthy은 식수와 폐수 시설에서 에너지 절감과 재생에 대해 다루는 두 번째 계획을 발표했다.“15만의 식수시설과 1만5천개의 폐수 시설이 전국 전기 소비량의 2% 가까이 소비한다. 이 소비량은 6백50만 가정이 일년동안 충분히 사용할 수 있다. ”고 밝혔다

the U.S. Water Alliance hosted the U.S. Water Prize ceremony at the National Geographic Society's headquarters in Washington D.C., which celebrated four winners: Alliance for Water Efficiency, Chicago, IL; American Water, Voorhees, NJ; Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati, OH; and Orange County Water District and Sanitation District, CA.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy connected the winners' accomplishments to EPA's work and discussed the Agency's continued efforts to safeguard the nation's waterways, including its recent landmark proposal to clarify protections for streams and wetlands under the Clean Water Act (CWA).

Further, McCarthy announced the release of their second Blueprint addressing energy reduction and recovery at drinking water and wastewater facilities. "The 150,000 drinking water and 15,000 wastewater facilities nationwide account for almost 2 percent of electricity consumption," she said. "That's enough to power 6 1/2 million homes a year."

Commenting after the program, U.S. Water Alliance President Ben Grumbles also said, "The Blueprint shows how bright America's water future can be if innovation and partnership rise to the top. EPA should be commended for articulating a vision and helping others -- public and private, local and national -- to step forward with sustainable solutions to our most important and enduring challenges."

In its fourth year, the U.S. Water Prize are presented to elevate those organizations and individuals with strategies that promote the value of water and the power of innovating and integrating for one water sustainability. The 2014 awards were sponsored by engineering consultants Brown and Caldwell, CH2M Hill, HDR, and Earth Day Texas -- a non-profit organization. Nominations are reviewed by an independent, volunteer panel of judges representative of the most respected leaders in the fields of water and environmental policy.

"There's a thread that ties all these winners together," said McCarthy. "It's that they aren't just thinking about providing clean water today but managing it for the future. That kind of ingenuity requires thinking outside the box. It requires breaking down barriers and cross-collaboration."

Accordingly, "Deputy Secretary Michael Connor, U.S. Department of the Interior, also picked up on the theme as he congratulated the winners: "Innovation in partnerships may very well be the key." He described his experiences touring areas that have been hit by extreme weather and drought. "The urgency of these events epitomizes the phrase, 'water is life.'"

[출처 = Waterworld / 2014년 4월 9일]