Water Resources Association of the Delaware River Basin honors leaders and innovators

The Water Resources Association of the Delaware River Basin on Thursday presented its 2023 Water Resources Awards, recognizing leadership, innovation and excellence in the science and management of water resources in the Delaware Basin.

“These awardees provide inspiration, templates for future projects, and a suite of technical tools that can help us build resilience and promote sustainability in the Delaware River Basin and beyond,” said Jennifer Garigliano, the association’s board president.

Those honored were:

SAMUEL S. BAXTER MEMORIAL AWARD: Russell J. Furnari in recognition of his significant contributions advancing sustainability through his expertise, leadership and remarkable ability to forge partnerships and promote collaborative solutions to challenges in the water and energy sectors in the Delaware River Basin.

DR. RUTH PATRICK EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION AWARD: The Nurture Nature Center for outstanding leadership in engaging, educating and empowering communities to prepare for and mitigate climate related risks and promote resilience throughout the Delaware River Basin.

PARKS AND PLACES AWARD: City of Newark, Delaware – Hillside Park for exemplifying a resilient, community-based approach to overcoming the challenges of water quality and flooding by improving headwater conditions of Silver Brook, a tributary to the upper Christina River.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD: The Academy of Natural Sciences for its continued contributions to the Delaware River Basin with an innovative environmental justice mapping tool developed by scientists from the Academy’s Patrick Center for Environmental Research to prioritize green stormwater infrastructure investment within underserved Philadelphia neighborhoods.

GOVERNMENT AWARD: The Philadelphia Water Department in recognition of PWD’s highly innovative and forward-looking Climate Change Adaptation Program providing a roadmap for Philadelphia and others to develop an actionable risk-based approach to planning, design, operations, and management of drinking water, stormwater management and wastewater treatment.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Gary W. Snyder for a career dedicated to improving water resources in the Greater Philadelphia area through technical expertise, leadership, mentoring and an unflagging commitment to finding solutions through collaboration across sectors, municipalities, and technical disciplines.

INNOVATION AND COLLABORATION AWARD: Government Agency: The City of Camden, N.J.; Camden County and the Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority for their transformational commitment to clean, accessible and sustainable water resources while building an economically thriving and dynamic waterfront and nurturing a spirit of community to address ongoing water quality and water equity challenges.

INNOVATION AND COLLABORATION AWARD: Dr. Franco Montalto, Director of Drexel University’s Sustainable Water Resource Engineering for dedicated leadership to advance cutting edge science and innovative technologies to protect communities from climate related flood risk and to enable historically disadvantaged communities to proactively partner with Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority to improve their neighborhoods.

BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY AWARD: Vicinity Energy for designing and implementing an innovative solution for a more sustainable water supply to critical components within the district energy system, providing a continuous, reliable, and low-carbon energy source and playing a significant role in fulfilling the City of Philadelphia’s commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.