Award Description

This award may be given to one industry per year for actions that best demonstrate significant, lasting, and measurable excellence in water quality improvement or in the prevention of water quality degradation as demonstrated by innovative design and operation of an industrial wastewater, pretreatment, or source prevention program.

Nomination Policy and Procedures

1.     Primary consideration will be given to nominees with Association members.

2.    Nominations and necessary documentation for the award shall be submitted to the State Section Industrial Wastes Committee Chair no later than June 12 of each year.

3.    The State Section Industrial Wastes Committees shall submit the names of no more than one nominee from each State Section to the Association General Awards Committee Chair no later than December 1 of each year.

4.   Documentation shall include supportive data as required to demonstrate compliance with the award criteria outlined in subsequent subsections together with background and informational data pertaining to the nominee as appropriate.  The application should give significant detail as to the nature of the engineering or scientific advances leading to the improvement. The body of the application shall include:

• Problem statement and program goals
• Problem solution
• Unique scientific or engineering or management skills embodied in the program
• Evidence of attainment of goals (at least one year of data)
• External references from a municipal, state, or federal agency
• Summary of why the program is worthy of the award

5.   Award candidates shall satisfy one or more of the following criteria:

• The program should be operated by an industry or show significant input by industry
• Joint awards between industrial and engineering consultants will be made for innovative designs or process alternations or management.
• The program must lie within the boundaries of CSWEA.
• A program is eligible during a five-year period immediately after documented results become a matter of public record. Two re-nominations may be made
• The program must demonstrate a significant achievement in design, operation, or process change resulting in demonstrated long-term water quality improvement. The application should give significant detail as to the nature of the engineering or scientific advances leading to the improvement. Examples of criteria are one or more of the following:
  1. Detailed summary data showing significant reduction in classic macro pollutants, e.g. BOD, N, P, TS discharged to the receiving stream or municipal sewer.
  2. Detailed summary data showing significant reduction in micro pollutants, e.g. chlorinated hydrocarbons, pesticides, metals, or hazardous compounds to the receiving stream or municipal sewer.
  3. A method of source reduction by process alteration which demonstrates reduction of water used or water pollution.
  4. A method of source reduction by product alteration which demonstrates reduction of water used or water pollution.
  5. A method of materials recycling resulting in lower water use, or lower water pollution generation.
  6. A method of waste water treatment involving energy saving without loss of efficiency.
  7. Innovations resulting in the protection of groundwater, soil, or air from a new or existing industrial wastewater treatment facility.
  8. An environmental management strategy or training program that increases environmental awareness and results in significant source reduction or water pollution prevention.

6.  The General Awards Committee shall review the nominations from the State Section Industrial Wastes Committees and shall select the most deserving submittal.

7.  The Association Industrial Water Quality Achievement Award shall consist of a suitably inscribed plaque indicating the recipient’s name and year of award.

For Information, Contact:

2023 RECIPIENT

Land O’ Lakes

Melrose, Minnesota

Past Recipients