Contact: Kristen Wolfe, Sustainable Water Workgroup, Coordinator, kmwolfe86@gmail.com, (203) 710-6461
March 22, 2019
For Immediate Release
Arizonans Celebrate World Water Day
Two Arizona water coalitions join in nominating the 2019 winner of the Stockholm Water Prize
To celebrate World Water Day, the Sustainable Water Workgroup and the Community Water Coalition of Southern Arizona announced that they joined an international team of individuals and groups in nominating Dr. Jackie King (Cape Town, So. Africa) for the prize.
Dr. King received this prestigious international award for her work with rivers – specifically, the science of environmental flows (quantity, timing, quality of water required to sustain plants, animals, human livelihoods). Her work highlighted the importance of maintaining these river flows as part of sound water management and sustainable water policy. More countries are turning to the science of e-flows to re-write their water laws. According to Torgny Holmgren (Executive Director of the Stockholm International Water Institute), “Dr. King has helped decision-makers understand that healthy river ecosystems are not a luxury, but the basis for sustainable development.”
In 2006 Dr. King visited Arizona as part of a tour of the Americas. Several University of Arizona and Arizona State University departments supported her visit as well as the office of Congressman Raul Grijalva and multiple environmental, business and faith groups. The purpose was to promote a dialogue about best practices in water management in a warming world.
The Sustainable Water Workgroup, a state-wide coalition of 35 groups and individuals (and the winner of the 2018 Capitol Times Leader of the Year environmental award) supported Dr. King’s nomination because it shares the vision of the need to protect environmental flows as the cornerstone of water management in this era of unpredictable climate. The coalition has drafted water legislation to study the environmental (ecological) flow needs of Arizona rivers and to allow the option of leaving more water in our rivers. The process of sharing this legislation with water experts, legislators, and the general public has in the past two years generated debate and interest.
The Stockholm Water Prize will be awarded on August 28th, 2019 in Stockholm, Sweden.