An environmental partnership has launched a program to recognize activities that protect sources of public drinking water in North Carolina.
The N.C. Source Water Collaborative announced the new awards program to support local drinking water protection, while identifying successful projects that can potentially be duplicated statewide.
“We hope that bringing attention to these projects will promote public awareness and emphasize the importance of protecting the state’s drinking water,” said Dr. Rebecca Sadosky, who has a doctorate in environmental engineering and helps lead the N.C. Source Water Collaborative. “It is also our hope that through the awards program, new opportunities will be created for public participation and that others will be inspired to initiate source water protection activities.”
Nominations are being sought for candidates that demonstrate innovative and collaborative solutions to protect North Carolina’s drinking water and the watersheds that support it. Any individual, group, organization or agency that engages in activities to protect drinking water at its source may be eligible for an award.
The six award categories are surface water planning, groundwater planning, surface water implementation, groundwater implementation, education and leadership. Award winners will be announced at the 2015 North Carolina Water Resources Annual Symposium in association with the Water Resources Research Institute’s annual conference.Winners will receive a trophy and a certificate during the annual symposium and will be recognized on the N.C. Source Water Collaborative’s website.
The N.C. Source Water Collaborative is a statewide partnership that includes volunteers from non-profit organizations, university programs, state, local and federal agencies, professional associations, and regional councils of government. The group develops and supports strategies designed to preserve the lakes, streams, rivers and aquifers used for drinking water and the land that protects and recharges these sources of water. The awards program was designed in direct support of the group’s mission, and is expected to be an annual event.
Nominations must be received by Dec. 1. To nominate an individual, group, organization, or agency, go to http://ncswc.org/. Nomination forms should be emailed to: [email protected].
More information is available on the N.C. Source Water Collaborative website at: http://ncswc.org/, or by contacting Sadosky at 919-707-9096, or [email protected].
(Image: “Glass-half-full” by jenny downing – glass half-full. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.)
