DALLAS – The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the winners of the 2010 Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) Awards for Sustainable Public Health Protection. These awards recognize communities nationwide that advance the most innovative and effective DWSRF projects that further the goal of clean and safe drinking water through exceptional planning, management, and finance.

EPA Region 6 award winners for 2010 are: The city of Glenwood, Ark.; the city of Ville Platte, La.; Wagoner Public Works Authority, Okla.; and the city of Fort Worth, Texas.

“Our nation’s water systems face many problems from age and use,” said EPA Regional Administrator Al Armendariz. “These cities and authorities have shown how innovative thinking helps overcome these challenges to assure the people have access to safe water.”

The projects had to meet several mandatory criteria to qualify for the award, including financial integrity, Safe Drinking Water Act compliance, and public health benefits. In addition, each nominee had to demonstrate leadership in one or more of the following criteria: Use of DWSRF program funds to plan and/or execute an exceptional green project, use of innovative management strategies that promote sustainability of water infrastructure, use of full-cost pricing/affordability tools, encouragement of efficient water use, holistic source water resources benefit approach, innovation in financing, and creative use of partnerships.

The 2010 DWSRF Awards recognize borrowers and their supporters who achieve results that go beyond the typical project, showing exceptional creativity and dedication to public health protection.

More information about activities in EPA Region 6 is available at www.epa.gov/aboutepa/region6.html. EPA audio file is available at www.epa.gov/region6/6xa/podcast/feb2011.html.