US Water Prize 2021

KC Water’s Green Stewards Program emerged out of KC Water’s Smart Sewer Program, a 25-year plan to reduce and prevent sewer overflows in Kansas City, MO. The Green Stewards Program is a workforce development program that supports the maintenance and monitoring of green infrastructure across the city. The program focuses on the development of skills in green infrastructure and landscape maintenance to develop qualifications for long-term employment in those fields. To run the program, KC Water partners with Bridging the Gap, a nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting environment, economy, and community. Read more about the Green Stewards Program here.  

Microsoft is a leader in their field for adopting their Water Positive Program and committing to being water positive by 2030. Microsoft recognizes our world’s existing water shortage and is taking steps to meet this goal in two ways: by reducing water use intensity across their operations, and by replenishing more water in stressed basins than global water consumption across all basins. Microsoft has made impressive strides toward this goal by using data from the World Resources Institute to focus their replenishment efforts on approximately 40 highly stressed water basins in areas where the company has operations. Additionally, Microsoft’s new Silicon Valley campus features an on-site rainwater collection system and waste treatment plant to recycle and reuse rainwater and wastewater, saving an estimated 4.3 million gallons of potable water each year. Read more about Microsoft's water initiatives here.

San Juan Bay Estuary Program, also called Estuario, is focused on the restoration of water bodies in the metropolitan area of Puerto Rico. As part of its mission to restore and conserve the quality of the waters of the Estuary ecosystem, Estuario launched the Illicit Discharges Detection and Elimination (IDDE) Project, the only long-term strategy on the island for detecting and correcting illicit charges. Estuario attributes the success of the IDDE Project to the organization’s multisectoral and community-led approach. By empowering residents as citizen scientists, Estuario engages community members whose efforts improve the health of water bodies and related ecosystems. Read more about Estuario’s work here.  

Lindsay has extensive experience in digital intelligence for water and wastewater networks and water resource engineering, including nutrient management, stream water quality monitoring and modeling, stormwater management, sustainable design and performance assessments, geospatial information systems, and watershed management. She currently serves as the Watershed Committee Chair and on the LIFT-Innovation Subcommittee Member for the Illinois Water Environment Association. Dr. Birt completed a PhD in agricultural and biological engineering from Purdue University with an emphasis in environmental and natural resources engineering. She holds an MS and a BS in biological and agricultural engineering from Texas A&M University. Read more about Dr. Birt’s work here.  

Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury is the recipient of the 2021 US Water Prize for Outstanding Public Official for her work as a water champion in her home state of New Mexico. Prior to her election in 2021 to represent the first congressional district of New Mexico, Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury served as a State Representative. As a state representative, Congresswoman Stansbury crafted, sponsored, and led the groundbreaking bipartisan legislation of the Water Data Act, which was signed into law in 2019. The Water Data Act has already streamlined data sharing and improved collaboration between agencies, especially for water managers who now have access to previously siloed data on water resources. Read more about Congresswoman Stansbury’s work here.