Winning trophies and distinction certificates were presented at the Global Water Awards ceremony for 2012 in Rome, Italy on April 30. The event was held as part of the Global Water Summit 2012 (organized by GWI/IDA) to recognize the most important achievements in the water industry over the past year. The Awards were presented by the Summit’s guest speaker, Craig Venter, the first to sequence the human genome and now pioneering the development of synthetic organisms to address the challenges the world now faces.
The awards this year were in eight categories:
??? ?Water Reuse Project of the Year
??? ?Water Deal of the Year
??? ?Desalination Company of the Year
??? ?Water Technology Company of the Year
??? ?Public Water Agency of the Year
??? ?Industrial Water Project of the Year
??? ?Desalination Plant of the Year
??? ?Water Company of the Year
Water Reuse Project of the Year:
The winner for Water Reuse Project of the Year was the Brightwater treatment plant in Washington, which combined a unique split-flow design with the largest application of membrane bio-reactor treatment to date ? a demonstration of how the technology has come to dominate the U.S. market.
Water Deal of the Year:
The winner for Water Deal of the Year was the El Realito aqueduct funding package in Mexico, where a large group of local lenders were brought together to supply an elegant tailored funding solution for a complex project. Repayments were handled through a unique split tax and tariff solution.
Desalination Company of the Year:
The winner for Desalination Company of the Year was GE Water, which pushed the boundaries of desal technology by establishing itself as the supplier of choice in the two most exciting niches of the business ? industrial oil and gas wastewater evaporation, and containerized modular desal plants.
Water Technology Company of the Year:
The Water Technology Company of the Year award went to Nalco, which has found a place at the cutting edge of sustainable industrial water technology, saving money and the environment in the membrane market with plans to do the same for wastewater. A linkup with Ecolab put it on a great footing for growth.
Public Water Agency of the Year:
The winner for Public Water Agency of the Year was South Australian Water, which created a truly groundbreaking program of education and investment that will pay dividends in one of the world?s driest regions and help to regenerate a sorely overworked natural water system.
Industrial Water Project of the Year:
The Industrial Water Project of the Year award went to the Pearl GTL complex in Qatar which has gone far above and beyond the industry norm for oil and gas wastewater treatment to set a new global standard of excellence for the industry.
Desalination Plant of the Year:
The award went to the Australian Water Corp., for the Southern Seawater Desalination Plant in Australia, which emerged as the new champion of the green desal movement by minimizing environmental impact and relying entirely on renewable energy to power the plant.
Water Company of the Year:
CH2M Hill took home the award for Water Company of the Year. CH2M Hill cemented its position as a leading player in the U.S. market while taking a massive step forward in its overseas business with the acquisition of Halcrow. Global growth was matched with social responsibility through its WaterMatch initiative.
The next Global Water Awards will be held at the Global Water Summit 2013. The American Water Awards will be held in Chicago on Nov. 14, 2012.
