The U.S. Water Alliance will be celebrating its 2013 U.S. Water Prize winners on Earth Day April 22, 2013 in Washington, D.C. The Alliance is hosting an elegant invitation-only award ceremony to honor the accomplishments of the following winners:

After the drilling, fracturing, and producing of water and gas cease, what happens next? What steps should be taken to ensure the watershed is restored to previous condition, public health is protected, and community relations are maintained or improved? Experts will describe well closure and site reclamation, highlighting issues, opportunities, and special considerations in different areas throughout the U.S.

One of the most important questions for drilling and fracturing operators is this: How best to capture, store, treat, reuse, and/or dispose properly of the large volumes of “frack water” and “produced water” that come to the surface over time? Experts will describe the range of factors, including legal responsibilities and technical and financial constraints for stormwater and wastewater effluent under the Clean Water Act and underground injection for disposal under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Other site-specific, watershed based considerations will come to the surface, as well.

Salmon Falls Watershed Collaborative and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission are two 2012 U.S. Water Prize Winners profiled in this webinar series. Sponsored and administered by the U.S. Water Alliance, the United States Water Prize is a celebration of sustainable solutions that advance holistic, watershed-based approaches to water quality and quantity challenges.

Understanding the hydraulic fracturing process and the total life cycle of water involved, from beginning to end, are keys to environmental success and public acceptance. EPA will give a progress report on its comprehensive national study on risks to drinking water and a representative of state regulatory agencies and Fracfocus (fracfocus.org), the national chemical registry for fracking fluids and operations, will describe state and local efforts to increase public transparency. Participants will also discuss some of the latest developments on the policy debate between a community’s right to know and an owner’s right to protect “legitimate trade secrets”.

As water is increasingly recognized as a central player on the climate change stage, governmental and nongovernmental policymakers, scientists, lawyers, and activists are developing and, in some cases, implementing greenhouse gas mitigation and adaptation strategies and coping mechanisms that involve water. Perhaps the most important area for water managers is adaptation and finding more sustainable approaches to drought, flooding, aquifer depletion, water pollution, infrastructure integrity, coastal resiliency, and linkages to food and energy.

“Location, location, location”. Upfront analysis can make all the difference in determining success or failure. Experts will describe the array of factors that shape environmental, economic, and social impacts, from the availability of affordable water supplies, to hydrology and geology above and below ground, to the energy-water nexus, and the impact on property values and community attitudes.

Water shortage and water scarcity are becoming serious issues at both national and international levels. In the U.S., there are real water shortages in California, Arizona, Georgia and Texas. The most promising solution for reducing our water footprint is water recovery and reuse. As part of its approach to environmental sustainability, Frito-Lay Inc., a Division of PepsiCo, selected one of its manufacturing plants to be the first full-scale “water recovery and reuse facility” in the U.S. The objective was to identify the most viable technology to convert food process water into high quality drinking water for direct reuse at food manufacturing plants.

Responsive to the needs of today and responsible for meeting the needs of tomorrow, urban water leaders are forced to make bold, sustainable decisions that embrace innovation to enhance how we meet our core missions. It is imperative that those on the cutting edge network and collaborate to advance the best practices. In its third annual event, the Urban Water Sustainability (UWS) Leadership Conference will challenge the environmental, technical, municipal and educational communities to think differently about sustainably managing limited urban water resources and resource recovery innovation. The conference has become the focal point for the national dialogue on resource recovery and green infrastructure.

Philadelphia’s “Green City, Clean Waters” program is the first of five 2012 U.S. Water Prize Winners profiled in this webinar series. Sponsored and administered by the Clean Water America Alliance, the United States Water Prize Program is a celebration of sustainable solutions that advance holistic, watershed-based approaches to water quality and quantity challenges.