SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) today presented its 2020 Excellence in Water Leadership Award to The Water Replenishment District (WRD) General Manager Robb Whitaker for his leadership and commitment to sustainable groundwater resources.
Whitaker has worked in the field of water resources and engineering and planning for 33 years and has been at WRD since 1991. He was the key architect in the planning and implementation of WRD’s highly successful Water Independence Now Initiative, a 15-year effort to entirely offset WRD’s groundwater replenishment demands with local stormwater and recycled water supplies.
The investment in capital projects and the collaboration with regional partners paid off and at the end of 2019, the initiative was completed. Today, WRD’s replenishment demands are entirely sources from local recycled water and captured stormwater.
“Robb has demonstrated remarkable leadership throughout his career but especially with regard to the Water Independence Now Initiative,” said ACWA President Steve LaMar. “He is a visionary leader who has continually demonstrated excellence in professionalism and collaborative engagement.”
The Excellence in Water Leadership Award, Building a World of Difference®, recognizes individuals who have made a remarkable and visible contribution to California water. The award, sponsored by Black & Veatch Corporation, was presented during ACWA’s 2020 Virtual Summer Conference where approximately 900 local water officials are virtually attending programs and panel discussions on a variety of key water issues.
For more information about ACWA’s awards programs, please visit www.acwa.com/about/awards.
ACWA is a statewide association of public agencies whose more than 450 members are responsible for about 90% of the water delivered in California. For more information, visit www.acwa.com
Contact: Heather Engel, Director of Communications | (916) 441-4545 | C (760) 217-0627