For Immediate Release: August 31, 2007

Contact:
Susan Bruninga, Director of Public Affairs, (202) 833-3280

NACWA Congratulates Blue Planet Run on Raising Awareness of Global Water Needs

The National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) is proud to support the 2007 Blue Planet Run, which is raising awareness about the lack of clean and safe water around the globe and will help in efforts to find viable solutions.  The Blue Planet Run will be making its way through Washington, D.C., Friday, Aug. 31 at noon with events to be located at the intersection of 3rd and Maryland Ave, S.W. by the U.S. Capitol.  NACWA and other supporting organizations will be on hand to cheer on the runners and provide information on the importance of clean water.

More than 1 billion people globally lack clean drinking water and adequate sanitation.  To call attention to this crisis, 20 athletes from 13 countries are participating in the Blue Planet Run.  They will cover 15,200 miles across 16 countries and four continents spreading the message about the critical importance of water to our lives.  The Blue Planet Run Foundation seeks to improve the quality of people’s lives by focusing on the most basic human need – clean, safe water.

The Blue Planet Run will also receive an award at the Clean Water America Gala …Clean and Safe Water For Future Generations for its vital contribution to enhancing our global environment. NACWA is pleased to be a sponsor of the gala, which will be held Sept. 18 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, DC.

Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.) and former Senator Howard Baker (R-Tenn.), are the honorary chairs of the gala, which will recognize the 35th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act and honor individuals and initiatives that have championed the cause of clean and safe water.

The gala is expected to build upon important initiatives like the Blue Planet Run to keep the issue of clean and safe water at the forefront of the national and international agenda. NACWA looks forward to a continuing collaboration with groups such as the Blue Planet Run Foundation and Dow to achieve a sustainable clean and safe water future.

NACWA represents the interests of the nation’s publicly owned wastewater treatment works, serving the majority of the sewered population in the United States, collectively treating and reclaiming over 18 billion gallons of wastewater every day.