A statewide drinking water protection group has announced the winners of an awards program that recognizes individuals and organizations that protect sources of public drinking water.
The N.C. Source Water Collaborative presented the awards at the annual Water Resources Research Institute’s conference in Raleigh. Any individual, group, organization or agency that engages in activities to protect drinking water at its source may be eligible for an award.
“We were fortunate to receive nominations for several innovative projects that could easily serve as models for other organizations,” said Rebecca Sadosky, who works for the state environmental agency and serves as one of the Source Water Collaborative leaders. “It is our hope that this year’s award recipients will inspire future projects.”
Winners in the surface water planning category were Ivy River Partners for the Ivy River Source Water Protection Plan and Implementation, and the Mills River Partnership, Inc. for the Mills River Watershed Protection efforts. The winner in the surface water implementation category was Mainspring Conservation Trust for the “Shade Your Stream” program. The winner in the education and leadership category was the Durham Soil and Water Conservation District for establishing the Bionomic Education Training Center.
The Source Water Collaborative is a statewide partnership with volunteers from non-profit organizations, universities, state, local and federal agencies, professional associations and regional councils of government. The group develops and supports strategies that preserve the lakes, streams, rivers and aquifers used for drinking water, as well as the land that protects and recharges these sources of water.
The state environmental agency helped found the Source Water Collaborative in 2011, seeing an opportunity to establish an organization that would help promote and support the state’s Drinking Water Protection Program.
To learn more about the Source Water Collaborative visit http://ncswc.org/. To learn more about the state’s Drinking Water Protection Program visit http://www.ncwater.org/?page=63.