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EPA HONORS 3 NEVADA ENVIRONMENTAL HEROES

Release Date: 4/18/2000
Contact Information: David Schmidt, Press Office, 415/744-1578

     SAN FRANCISCO   During an Earth Day ceremony in San Francisco today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Regional Administrator Felicia Marcus presented plaques to three Nevada organizations and individuals in recognition of their efforts to protect and preserve the environment in 1999.

     "Today's honorees have applied creativity, teamwork and leadership in addressing many of Northern California's most pressing and complex environmental problems," Marcus said.  "Thanks to the efforts of these individuals, our air, water and land will be cleaner and safer for generations to come.  The winners -- in fact all of the nominees -- set an example for all of us to follow."

     The EPA Region 9 Earth Day Celebration acknowledges commitment and significant contributions to the environment in California, Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada and tribal lands.  Forty six groups and individuals were selected from 164 nominees received this year from businesses, media, local, state and federal government officials, tribes, environmental organizations and citizen activists.

The Nevada winners and basis for recognition are:

Las Vegas Wash Coordination Committee During 1999, the Las Vegas Wash Coordination Committee -- representing a consortium of stakeholders -- made significant progress toward restoring Las Vegas Wash, a channel that carries treated wastewater, shallow groundwater flows, urban runoff and storm water to Lake Mead, the primary water supply for southern Nevada and millions of California and Arizona residents.  The committee co-sponsored the Las Vegas Wash & Wetlands Cleanup, an event that drew 1,400 volunteers and resulted in the removal of nearly a quarter million pounds of garbage from the wetlands surrounding the wash.  The committee also completed  a comprehensive plan that outlines actions needed to manage the wash in the future.

Walt Johnson, Clark County Sanitation District (Las Vegas) Throughout Johnson's 40 year career in wastewater treatment, he has conducted research and successfully implemented a number of process changes to achieve a number of significant environmental gains.  One of his many recent accomplishments was the reduction in sludge production by 300 tons per day at one facility.

He achieved this by removing the need for lime as the sludge conditioning additive.  The work required significant teamwork, exacting science and admirable ingenuity.  Johnson's efforts have been recognized at industry conferences and published in leading industry journals for his significant contribution to the future of wastewater treatment.

Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe (Nixon, Nevada) The tribe demonstrated tremendous leadership in initiating and organizing a multi-government memorandum of agreement to manage the Truckee River to protect the cui-ui and Lahontan cutthroat trout of Pyramid Lake.  This monumental agreement established an inter-disciplinary team from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, and the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe.  It also developed two important documents: A Conservation and Management Plan and An Annual Water Management Plan. The tribe also developed another landmark agreement that outlines the emergency services available in the Truckee River area in case of an emergency, including hazardous materials spill, flood or other disastrous event.

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