TRENTON, Dec. 7 -- Jersey Water Works has been selected as a winner of the 2016 Governor's Environmental Excellence Award in the Water Resources category. On behalf of the collaborative, Steering Committee Co-chair Jane Kenny of Whitman Strategy Group accepted the award today at a ceremony at the New Jersey State Museum.

"This year's winners have demonstrated true leadership in finding ways to enhance New Jersey's environment," Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin said. "Through their collaborations and dedication, these honorees are setting high standards and excellent examples of how everyone in our state can help the environment through partnerships and commitment. As stewards of New Jersey's environment, we salute the outstanding contributions of this year's winners."

L to R: Jersey Water Works Steering Committee Co-chair Jane Kenny accepting the award; Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Robert Martin; and New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust Executive Director David Zimmer. The DEP and NJEIT are sponsors of the award.

The awards honor and recognize individuals, businesses, educators, institutions, communities, youth and others who have made significant contributions to environmental protection in New Jersey. To date, 140 award winners have been recognized since the program was established in 2000.

Jersey Water Works is a 1-year-old collaborative that brings together a diverse group of organizations and individuals who embrace the common purpose of transforming New Jersey's inadequate water infrastructure by fostering investments in sustainable, cost-effective solutions that provide communities with clean water and waterways; healthier, safer neighborhoods; local jobs and job training; flood and climate resilience; and economic growth.

The collaborative now has more than 280 members, of which more than 100 are active on at least one committee. A 21-member Steering Committee, including representatives from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, governs the collaborative. The collaborative's goals and work plan are developed and executed by its members. The land-use policy organization New Jersey Future facilitates the collaborative's work.

"While numerous collaboratives exist around the country for many purposes, Jersey Water Works is perhaps the first in the nation to take on the large, complex and costly problem of aging and inefficient water infrastructure statewide and of combined-sewer overflows in New Jersey's cities," said Kenny. "We are grateful for this recognition from the DEP and for the department's ongoing support of the collaborative's work."

At the collaborative's annual conference on Dec. 2, individual and organizational members committed publicly to more than 30 significant actions that they intend to take in 2017 to improve the condition of New Jersey's water infrastructure.

"These commitments demonstrate how enthusiastically the Jersey Water Works collaborative is mobilizing its 280 members to advance its shared goals," said Co-Chair Mark Mauriello of Edgewood Properties. "It's wonderful to see how strongly such a broad and diverse coalition has united in support of these efforts."

Additional information about the collaborative and its work may be found on its website.

The Governor's Environmental Excellence Awards program is sponsored by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust and the New Jersey Corporation for Advanced Technology, in partnership with the New Jersey State League of Municipalities.