2010-2011 Hoosier Water Guardian Award Winners
This is the third year we’ve been able to recognize water systems with successful source water protection programs. The eight systems awarded the Hoosier Water Guardian Award in 2010-2011 have motivated local planning teams and demonstrated that they are going above and beyond the state’s minimum requirements for wellhead protection. Some of the unique and effective strategies they have implemented to prevent contamination at the source, include:
- conducting educational workshops for auto body shops,
- promoting and performing the proper sealing of abandoned wells located within their Wellhead Protection Area (WHPA),
- removing hazardous materials from areas within their WHPA,
- publishing newspaper articles to educate tenants and property owners,
- participating in school and community environmental events,
- promoting proper disposal of household hazardous wastes and other solid wastes,
- enrolling adjacent crop lands in the Federal Conservation Reserve Program,
- conducting additional raw water quality monitoring,
- passing local aquifer protection ordinances,
- reviewing construction projects within their WHPA, and
- preparing for emergency situations by installing generators , making connections with other nearby water supplies and joining INWARN.
Below is a photo of six of the eight Hoosier Water Guardian Award winners honored at the Annual American Water Works Association – Indiana Section Meeting in Indianapolis on February 23, 2011. They are from left to right: Dave Carter and Pat O'brian (representing Noblesville), Larry Wood and Brandon France (Wabash), Darrel Heisler (Newburgh), Kirk Kuroiwa and Josh Cox (West Lafayette, Rich Nicholson (Richmond), Steve Yagelski (Crawfordsville). and Bruno Piggott, IDEM Office of Water Quality.
The official Hoosier Water Guardian road sign and award were presented to Bruce Cunningham, General Manager and Kenneth Saulman, Board President by Pat Carroll, Drinking Water Branch Chief of IDEM on May 18th at the New Middletown elementary school in New Middletown, Indiana.
The 2008 - 2011 HWG Winners page features a complete listing of the Water Supply Systems and their awards (including all past award winners).
This year, in addition to the Hoosier Water Guardian awards IDEM also recognized six communities that were awarded the Groundwater Guardian Award from the Groundwater Foundation in 2010. The Foundation recognizes source water efforts across the US and Canada. Prior to 2010 we only had three participants in the state of Indiana, but this year we doubled that number!
Please congratulate the City of Carmel, the City of Ligonier, Rockport, Elkhart, Indianapolis-Marion County, and Valparaiso for earning the Groundwater Guardian Award for 2010. In order to receive this award their teams must have completed at least one Result Oriented Activity.
Two of the Groundwater Guardian award winners, Jaimie Foreman (for City of Carmel)and Jim Pingatore (for Valparaiso) were present at the AWWA awards dinner on February 23, 2011 and received IDEM’s recognition pin.
- More information about the Groundwater Guardian Program and how to apply.
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