Congratulations, Dr. Day!
The Green Bay Water Utility and NEW Water are proud to present the 2022 Water Champion Award to: Dr. Harold "Jack" Day!
(Green Bay – March 22) Longtime advocate and educator Dr. Harold ‘Jack’ Day is named this year’s Water Champion by the Green Bay Water Utility and NEW Water.
Dr. Day served on the Commission of NEW Water, the brand of the Green Bay Metropolitan Sewerage District, for 29 years. Throughout his career, Jack has worked endlessly to protect water resources, particularly in greater Green Bay.
“He based this premise on the fact that we serve a community located at the mouth of the largest freshwater estuary in the world, which imposes greater responsibilities on us to help protect this unique resource,” says John Kennedy, a freshwater scientist, and friend and colleague of Dr. Day. Dr. Day advanced water quality science through his extensive work with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and American Society of Civil Engineers. He remains Professor Emeritus for the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay.
“Jack has demonstrated a sustained and relentless commitment to improving water quality in Northeastern Wisconsin, while also bringing a global perspective through his extensive network of collaborators and friends," says Dr. John Katers from the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay. “He has been an inspiration and valued mentor to many, and his impacts will be long-lasting.”
NEW Water and the Green Bay Water Utility team up annually to celebrate World Water Day through the naming of a Water Champion. World Water Day (https://www.worldwaterday.org/) is a commemorative event established by the United Nations in 1993 to bring awareness to global water issues.
Green Bay Water General Manager Nancy Quirk, P.E., and NEW Water Executive Director Thomas W. Sigmund, P.E., are both recognized national leaders in the water industry, active in bringing attention to the importance of water to Northeast Wisconsin. Sigmund serves on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (www.nacwa.org), and Quirk served on the Water Utility Council for American Water Works Association (www.awwa.org).
Past Award recipients include Nancy Quirk of Green Bay Water Utility for being first in the nation to voluntarily remove all known public and private lead service lines, Dr. Kevin Fermanich of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay for a career dedicated to improving area water quality, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for leading PCB remediation efforts of the Fox River, Brickstead Dairy for conservation efforts on their family farm, and Charlie Frisk, science educator and President of the Baird Creek Foundation. Learn more about past recipients here.
Learn more about Green Bay Water Utility: www.gbwater.org
Learn more about NEW Water: www.newwater.us