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WateReuse Award Winners

WateReuse recognizes excellence and leadership in water recycling. View the past awards programs for more information about the innovative projects, partnerships, and individuals that have been recognized with the WateReuse Award for Excellence:

Advocacy Achievement

  • 2023: The U.S. EPA Water Reuse Program Team
  • 2022: James Herberg, Louis Herrin, and the National Blue Ribbon Commission for Onsite Non-potable Water Systems
  • 2021: Dan Arnold and Damian Higham (Denver Water) and Brandi Honeycutt and Bret Icenogle (Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment)
  • 2021: Ground Water Protection Council
  • 2021: Lynn Spivey (Florida Potable Reuse Commission)
  • 2019: Paula Kehoe, San Francisco Public Utility Commission (California)
  • 2019: William “Bill” Van Wagoner, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (California)
  • 2018: Michael Graves, Garver (Oklahoma)
  • 2018: Rick Warner, Washoe County (Nevada)
  • 2018: WateReuse Colorado

Community Water Champions

  • 2023: Lynn Spivey and Plant City (Florida), Mike Britt and City of Winter Haven (Florida), and San Antonio Water System (Texas)
  • 2022: City of Lakeland (Florida) and North Texas Municipal Water District
  • 2021: City of Pompano Beach Reuse Plant (Florida)
  • 2021: OneWater Nevada
  • 2021: Tucson Water (Arizona)
  • 2019: Eastern Municipal Water District (California)
  • 2019: Marana Water (Arizona)
  • 2019: WISE Partnership (Colorado)
  • 2018: The City of Los Angeles, LA Sanitation (California)
  • 2018: City of Modesto, City of Turlock, Del Puerto Water District (California)
  • 2018: City of Silverton (Oregon)

Excellence in Action

  • 2023: Eastern Municipal Water District (California) and Gulf Coast Authority (Texas)
  • 2022: Irvine Ranch Water District (California) and Scottsdale Water (Arizona)
  • 2021: SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park/West Basin Municipal Water District (California)
  • 2021: SUEZ – Nassau County Water Reuse (New York)
  • 2021: Vallecitos Water District/LG Sonic Technology (California)
  • 2019: San Diego Regional Airport Authority (California)
  • 2019: Western Reserve Land Conservancy (Ohio)
  • 2018: The Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works and Raven Power (Maryland)
  • 2018: City of Show Low, U.S. Forest Service, Arizona Game and Fish Commission (Arizona)
  • 2018: Irvine Ranch Water District (California)

Outreach and Education

  • 2023: Irvine Ranch Water District (California) and One Water Florida
  • 2022: PureWater Colorado Demonstration and Syphon Reservoir Outreach Campaign (California)
  • 2021: Irvine Ranch Water District (California)
  • 2021: Pinellas County Utilities (Florida)
  • 2019: Central Coast Blue (California)
  • 2018: Soquel Creek Water District (California)

Transformational Innovation

  • 2023: City of Santa Monica (California) and Norman Utilities Authority (Oklahoma)
  • 2022: Malibu Creek Watershed JPA (California), New York City, and Eastern Municipal Water District (California)
  • 2021: Hyperion Membrane Bioreactor Pilot Facility Project, City of Los Angeles, LA Sanitation (California)
  • 2021: JEA (Florida)
  • 2021: Las Virgenes – Triunfo Joint Powers Authority (California)
  • 2019: City of Abilene (Texas)
  • 2019: Hampton Roads Sanitation District (Virginia)
  • 2019: Pure Water Monterey (California)
  • 2018: Arizona Pure Water Brew Challenge
  • 2018: National Science Foundation and University of Miami (Florida)
  • 2018: Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources, CDM Smith, and Stantec (Georgia)

Up and Comer

  • 2023: Anya Kaufmann, Trussell Technologies
  • 2022: Shea Dunifon, Pinellas County, Florida
  • 2021: Lydia Peri, Truckee Meadows Water Authority (Nevada)
  • 2019: Daniel Gerrity, Southern Nevada Water Authority and Trussell Technologies
  • 2018: Pranjali S. Kumar, Carollo Engineers (Florida)

WateReuse President’s Award

  • 2023: Karen Pallansch, Alexandria Renew Enterprises and Cindy Wallis-Lage, Black & Veatch
  • 2022: Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, Senator Diane Feinstein, Senator Alex Padilla, Senator Chris Van Hollen, and David Ross, Former Assistant Administrator for Water, U.S. EPA
  • 2019: National Blue Ribbon Commission for Onsite Non-Potable Water Systems
  • 2018: The City of Wichita Falls (Texas)
  • 2018: Tom Taggart, City of San Marcos (Texas)

Lifetime Achievement

  • 2018: Margie Nellor, Austin, Texas
Previous Winners

Project of the Year – Large

  • 2017: Liberty Aquifer Replenishment Facility, Phoenix, AZ
  • 2016: City of Abilene Hamby Water Reclamation Facility and Indirect Reuse Project, Abilene, TX
  • 2015: Sparta Reuse Facility, West Monroe, LA
  • 2014: Santa Clara Valley Water District (San Jose, CA)
  • 2013: Reedy Creek Improvement District, Reedy Creek, FL
  • 2012: Eastern Municipal Water District, Perris, CA
  • 2011: Loxahatchee River Environmental Control District, Jupiter, FL
  • 2010: City of Clearwater, Clearwater, FL
  • 2009: Butler Drive Water Reclamation Facility, Peoria, AZ
  • 2009: George W. Shannon Wetlands Water Recycling Facility, Streetman, TX
  • 2008: North Texas Municipal Water District – East Fork Raw Water Supply Project, Wylie, TX
  • 2008: Orange County Water District & Orange County Sanitation District – Groundwater
  • Replenishment District, Fountain Valley, CA
  • 2007: Integrated Water Reuse Management at City of Scottsdale, Scottsdale, AZ
  • 2007: Redwood City Recycled Water Project, Redwood City, CA
  • 2006: Manatee Agricultural Reuse Systems
  • 2005: West Basin Water Recycling Facility
  • 2004: Orange County Utilities Water Reclamation Division, Florida South Water Reclamation Facility and Reuse System
  • 2004: City of Santa Rosa, Geysers Recharge Project
  • 2002: Las Vegas Valley Water District and City of Las Vegas – Northwest Water Resource Center and Recycled Water Distribution, Las Vegas, NV
  • 2001: Water Conserv II, City of Orlando and Orange County
  • 2000: Soscol Water Recycling Facility, Napa Sanitation District

Project of the Year – Small

  • 2017: Vadose Injection Project/City of Goodyear, Arizona
  • 2016: Town of Davie Water Reclamation Facility, Davie, FL
  • 2015: Woodland Creek Groundwater Recharge Facility, Lacey, WA
  • 2013: Winter Park Estates Wastewater Treatment Facility, Orange County, FL
  • 2012: City of San Diego’s Water Purification Demonstration Project, San Diego, CA
  • 2011: Frito-Lay Casa Grande Process Water Reuse Treatment Plant, Casa Grande, AZ
  • 2010: LOTT Clean Water Alliance, Hawks Prairie Reclaimed Water Satellite, Olympia, WA
  • 2009: Englewood Water District Water Reclamation Facility, Englewood, FL
  • 2008: Carnation Wastewater Treatment Facility, Seattle, WA
  • 2007: Charlotte Correctional Institute, Charlotte, FL
  • 2006: City of Aurora, Colorado, Sand Creek Water Reuse Facility
  • 2005: Tampa Bay Fisheries Wastewater Reuse Project, Tampa, FL
  • 2004: Brevard County Water Resources Department, Barefoot Bay Water Reclmation Facility

Industrial Project of the Year

  • 2017: Evoqua Water Technologies & Air Products – Brine Recovery Reverse Osmosis Project
  • 2016: J.R. Simplot Process Water Treatment and Return Plant
  • 2015: Kooragang Recycled Water Scheme, New South Wales, Australia
  • 2014: Tirupur ZLD Project, Tamilnadu, India
  • 2012: Empire Generating Power Plant, Rensselaer, New York

Agricultural Project of the Year

  • 2017: Farming Reimagined: Advancing Urban Agriculture with Water Reuse Technology
  • 2016:  Napa Sanitation District Recycled Water Expansion Project, Napa, CA
  • 2015: Pure Water Monterey, Monterey, CA

Institution of the Year

  • 2017: Water & Energy Sustainable Technology Center (WEST)
  • 2016: Colorado Water Conservation Board
  • 2011: University of Connecticut, Hartford, CT
  • 2010: Water Replenishment District of Southern California, Lakewood, CA
  • 2009: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
  • 2008: City of Santa Rosa’s Subregional Water Reuse System, Santa Rosa, CA
  • 2005: Mid Florida Citrus
  • 2004: Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida’s Water Reuse Program

Equipment/Manufacturer Award

  • 2016: H2O Innovation
  • 2015: TrojanUV
  • 2014: Xylem Inc.
  • 2012: PETROBRAS Mobile Unit for Experimental in Water Reuse, Brazil2011: Nalco Company, Naperville, Illinois
  • 2010: GE Power & Water, Trevose, Pensylvania

Public Education Program of the Year

  • 2017: Orange County Water District and Water Citizen Academy/Scottsdale Water
  • 2016:  Sustainable Beer Smackdown, Clean Water Services (OR) and Milwaukee Municipal Sewage District (WI)
  • 2015: The King County (WA) Wastewater Treatment Division Education Program, King County, WA
  • 2014: City of North Port Utility Public Education Program, North Port, Florida
  • 2013: LOTT’s East Bay Public Plaza, Olympia, Washington
  • 2012: City of Pompano Beach’s “I Can Water” Campaign, Pompano Beach, Florida
  • 2011: City of San Diego Public Utilities Department’s Water Purification Demonstration Project, San Diego, California
  • 2010: Hillsborough County Water Resource Services “All Things Reclaimed” Public Education Program, Tampa, Florida
  • 2009: The Constructed Wetlands: An Exhibit in the Gardens of the Springs Preserve, Las Vegas, Nevada
  • 2008: Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities/Cheyenne Water Reuse Program, Cheyenne, Wyoming
  • 2007: Recovered/Reclaimed Water Program to Offset Potable Water Demand and Protect Human Health, El Paso, Texas
  • 2007: Santa Clara Valley Water District’s Water Awareness/Recycling Outreach Program, San Jose, California
  • 2006: City of Oxnard Water Resources Division, Oxnard, California
  • 2005: Big Bear Area Regional Wastewater Agency, Big Bear, California
  • 2004: Orange County Water District, Groundwater Replenishment District, Orange County, California

Innovative Project of the Year

  • 2017: pureALTA – An Innovative Potable Reuse Demonstration Pilot without RO
  • 2016: City of Goodyear, AZ
  • 2015: WaterHub™ (Emory University), Atlanta, GA

Customer of the Year

  • 2017: Lake Mission Viejo Association
  • 2016: Denver Parks and Recreation Department (Colorado) and Water Replenishment District: Dominguez Gap Seawater Intrusion Barrier (California)
  • 2015: Sample McDougal House Preservation Society, Pompano Beach, FL
  • 2014: San Francisco 49ers, San Francisco, California
  • 2013: The Living Machine – San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Headquarters, San Francisco, California
  • 2012: Gulf Power: Plant Crist Water Reclamation Project, Pensacola, Florida
  • 2011: Denver Zoo, Denver, Colorado
  • 2010: Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, California
  • 2009: Pebble Beach Company, Pebble Beach, California
  • 2008: Calpine Corporation, Middletown, California
  • 2007: Hotel Sofitel , Redwood City, California
  • 2006: SCA Tissue, North America, Flagstaff Paper Mill, Flagstaff, Arizona
  • 2005: Walt Disney World, Reedy Creek, Florida
  • 2002: San Rafael Nazareth House, San Rafael, California
  • 2001: Rose Hills Memorial Park, Whittier, California
  • 2000: BP Carson Business Unit, Carson, California

Person of the Year

  • 2017: Jeffrey J. Mosher, Carollo Engineers
  • 2016: Bart Weiss, Hillsborough County Public Utilities Department
  • 2015: Karla Fowler, LOTT Clean Water Alliance
  • 2014: Professor Karl Linden, University of Colorado Boulder
  • 2013: Randy Brown, City of Pompano Beach Utilities
  • 2012: Robin Bain, City of Peoria
  • 2011: Rich Nagel, West Basin Municipal Water District
  • 2010: Ed Archuleta, El Paso Water Utilities
  • 2010: Rafael Mujeriego, Polytechnic University of Catalonia
  • 2009: Eric Rosenblum, City of San Jose
  • 2009: Linda Macpherson, CH2M HILL
  • 2008: Pick Talley, Talley Conservation Consulting
  • 2007: Andrew Salveson, Carollo Engineers
  • 2007: Lauren Walker-Coleman, Florida Department of Environmental Protection
  • 2006: Anthony Andrade, Southwest Florida Water Management District
  • 2005: Jim Crook
  • 2004: Richard Martin, USBR

Young Professional of the Year

  • 2017: Germano Salazar-Benites
  • 2016: Jillian Vandegrift, CDM Smith

President’s Award

  • 2016: Ellen McDonald, Alan Plummer Associates, Inc.
  • 2011: Mark Millan, Data Instincts
  • 2006: Mark Millan, Data Instincts

International Award

  • 2014: National Demonstration Education & Engagement Program, New South Wales, Australia
  • 2013: Eastern Treatment Plant Tertiary Upgrade Project, Melbourne, Australia
  • 2012: Gippsland Water Factory, Victoria, Australia
  • 2011: Luggage Point Advanced Water Treatment Plant, Brisbane, Australia
  • 2010: Sembcorp NEWater Plant, Singapore

Poster Presenter of the Year

  • 2012: Planning a Recycled Water Program in a Groundwater Rich Environment – Steve Friedman, HDR Engineering

Awards of Merit

  • 2012: The Coca-Cola Company
  • 2011: City of Scottsdale Advanced Treatment Plant Expansion Project, Scottsdale, Arizona
  • 2011: Ak-Chin Indian Community Water Reclamation Facility, Maricopa, Arizona
  • 2009: City of Clovis Water Reuse Facility, Clovis, California
  • 2009: Collier County South Regional Desalination Plant, Naples, Florida
  • 2009: Leisure Village Association, Camarillo, California
  • 2009: The Olympic Club, San Francisco, California
  • 2009: The Wollongong Recycled Water Scheme, Parramatta, Australia
  • 2009: Watsonville Area Water Recycling Project, Watsonville, California
  • 2008: Alan Plummer, Alan Plummer Associates, Fort Worth, Texas
  • 2008: Global Water Center, Maricopa, Arizona
  • 2007: City of West Palm Beach – East Central Regional Water Reclamation Facility, West Palm Beach, Florida
  • 2007: Water Conserv II, Winter Garden, Florida
  • 2006: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, West Basin Municipal Water District’s Harbor-South Bay Water Recycling Project
  • 2006: Clear Lake Sanitary District
  • 2006: Haskell R. Street Reclaimed Water Project
  • 2006: East Bay Municipal Utility District, Oakland, California
  • 2005: South Cross Bayou
  • 2005: Serrano
  • 2004: East Bay Municipal Utility District’s Recycled Water Irrigation Customer Training Program
  • 2002: Delta Diablo Sanitation District, Recycled Water Facility
  • 2001: City of Cape Coral, Florida, Water Independence for Cape Coral Program
  • 2000: Crisis Communication Plan, Orange County Water District

Project of the Year – Desalination

  • 2012: Sand City Coastal Desalination Facility, Sand City, CA
  • 2011: West Basin Municipal Water District’s Ocean-Water Desalination Demonstration Facility and Water Education Center, Carson, CA
  • 2010: Texas Water Development Board, Austin, TX
  • 2009: Cache Creek Desalination Facility, Capay Valley, CA
  • 2008: Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Facilities, El Paso, TX
  • 2007: North Alamo Water Supply Corp., Brownsville Public Utilities Board, NRS Consulting Engineers (South Texas)

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