CH2M has long recognized that our global community cannot afford to use water once and dispose of it: fresh water sources are precious and growing scarcer. Purifying wastewater effluent to create drinking water seems the logical solution, and CH2M has been at the forefront of removing the technical and public acceptance hurdles – turning one of our world’s great resource challenges into an opportunity to get water reuse projects up and running, ensuring our world has access to long-term water supplies for centuries to come.
For this reason, the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) selected CH2M as the recipient of the 2015 Stockholm Industry Water Award (SIWA) – a prestigious award that honors outstanding and transformative water achievements by companies that contribute to sustainable water management.
The SIWA was established in 2000 to stimulate and celebrate outstanding and transformative water achievements by companies in improving production, managing risks, finding solutions, and contributing to wise water management. Previous SIWA winners include General Motors, Procter & Gamble, Nestle, PUB Singapore, and Sydney Water Corporation, to name a few. We are the first and only consulting engineering firm to win this award.
CEO Jacque Hinman, WBG President Greg McIntire, Technology Director Brock McEwen, and Water Reuse Technologist Larry Schimmoller receive SIWA from SIWA Chair Peter Forssman
On August 23, in Stockholm, Sweden, CH2M Chairman and CEO Jacque Hinman accepted the 2015 Stockholm Industry Water Award during a special ceremony honoring CH2M. Greg McIntire, global Water Business Group president, Brock McEwen, global water technology director, and Larry Schimmoller, global water technology leader for water reuse, were also in attendance.
Receiving the SIWA provided a unique opportunity for CH2M to tell our story and share our more than 50 years of leadership in developing state-of-the-art technologies for potable water reuse on a global stage.
“It feels quite humbling to win this award because we know that our work is just beginning. Water is a key global issue,” said Jacque. “And for us, the next steps are to partner with more communities and industries to apply this technology in even broader ways to ensure there is safe water for generations to come.”
It was announced in June that CH2M was selected to receive this prestigious and internationally acclaimed award for our leadership in advancing state-of-the-art methodologies and technologies to clean water for potable reuse, as well as increasing public acceptance of recycled water.
“As the first engineering company to receive this award, it certainly distinguishes us in the industry,” said Greg McIntire. “It’s quite an honor for us to receive this prestigious award for the landmark projects we’ve been doing with our clients for more than half a century.”
The SIWI presents the Stockholm Water Prize, the Stockholm Junior Water Prize, and the Stockholm Industry Water Award during World Water Week at a Royal Banquet in the Stockholm City Hall in the presence H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. Brock McEwen represented CH2M at the Royal Banquet, where he met King Carl and Queen Sylvia and dined at the King’s banquet table.
“We’ve been calling the SIWA the Nobel Prize for Water, and it’s quite an honor for us to receive this prominent award for the work we’ve been doing with our clients,” said Brock.
During the Royal Banquet, the King presented the Stockholm Water Prize to Rajendra Singh for his innovative water restoration efforts, improving water security in rural India, and for showing extraordinary courage and determination in his quest to improve the living conditions for those most in need. Brock joined Rajendra, along with Perry Alagappan of Houston, Texas, who won the Stockholm Junior Water Prize, on stage to receive the awards.