Nine Projects Honored at H-GAC's WISE Awards Ceremony

HOUSTON, TX – The Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) celebrated the Water Innovation Strategies of Excellence (WISE) Awards, recognizing nine innovative projects during a ceremony held at H-GAC on July 29.

The WISE Awards, introduced by H-GAC's Natural Resources Advisory Committee, aim to recognize pioneering efforts in water quality and resource management across the region. "All of these awards recognize the best of the best – those projects that are leading the charge in creating a more resilient region for us and future generations," said Justin Bower, director of community and environmental planning at H-GAC.

Award winners include large-scale, multi-year community projects; municipal water quality issue prevention and customer support projects; water conservation and reuse community education and outreach; and habitat restoration. This year's ceremony also honored the first recipient of an award for individual excellence, a category recognizing standout individuals who go above and beyond to protect water quality through exemplary leadership and community involvement. 

The recognized projects are:

Winners

Completed Effort (Greater Than $200,000)

Chrysalis Lake, Howard Hughes - Bridgeland

Completed Effort (Less Than $200,000)

Water Loss Reduction, City of La Marque

Education and Public Awareness

Galveston Bay Foundation Rain Barrel Workshop Program, Galveston Bay Foundation

Individual Excellence

Teri MacArthur, Woodlands Water Agency

Policy and Planning

Exploration Green, SWA Group:

Program Performance

Sanitary Sewer Overflow Prevention Program, City of West University Place

Research and Monitoring

Buffalo Bayou Park Revegetation and Biostabilization Project, Harris County Flood Control District

Special Recognition

Innovation in Water Resources Management

Sustainable Interactive Customer Connections (SICC), City of Galveston

Water Quality Protection Technology

SCADA Improvements, City of West University Place

Since its inception in 2018, the WISE Awards program has honored 24 projects in the categories of Policy and Planning, Completed Effort, Program Performance, Research and Monitoring, Education and Public Awareness, and Individual Excellence. Projects recognized by this awards program are selected by a panel of expert judges and industry professionals.

For more information about H-GAC's WISE Awards, visit h-gac.com/wise-awards.

The City of La Marque was recognized as the winner in the Completed Effort (Less Than $200,000) category for its successful Water Loss Reduction initiative.

The City of Galveston was honored with a Special Recognition award in the Innovation in Water Resources Management category for its Sustainable Interactive Customer Connections (SICC) project.

The City of West University Place received the Water Quality Protection Technology special award for SCADA Improvements and the Program Performance award for its Sanitary Sewer Overflow Prevention Program.

The Galveston Bay Foundation received the Education and Public Awareness WISE award for their outstanding Galveston Bay Foundation Rain Barrel Workshop Program.

The Buffalo Bayou Park Revegetation and Biostabilization Project, led by the Harris County Flood Control District, won the Research and Monitoring category.

Congratulations to Teri MacArthur from Woodlands Water Agency for winning the Individual Excellence Award.

The SWA Group earned an award in the Policy and Planning category for the remarkable Exploration Green project.