The National Association of Clean Water Agencies recently recognized the nation’s top-performing clean water utilities and honored outstanding leaders in the water sector during a ceremony held at the 2026 Utility Leadership Conference in Cleveland.
Among the association’s highest honors, the President’s Award recognizes individuals who are actively involved in NACWA and have made significant contributions to advancing the association’s goals and objectives. This year’s recipients are Susan Pekarek, general manager of Johnson County (Kansas) Wastewater, and Michael Witt, general counsel for the Passaic Valley (New Jersey) Sewerage Commission.
NACWA also presented its Clean Water Advocate Award, which recognizes outstanding advocacy by member agencies in support of municipal clean water priorities. The 2026 recipients are Capital Region Water in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and the Little Rock (Arkansas) Water Reclamation Authority.
In addition, NACWA recognized recipients of its Peak Performance Awards, honoring 540 treatment facilities at 206 member public agencies for outstanding compliance and performance under their National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits. The awards reflect permit compliance during the 2025 calendar year. A complete list of Peak Performance Award recipients is available here.
“The utilities receiving NACWA’s Peak Performance Awards have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to operational excellence and environmental protection,” says NACWA CEO Adam Krantz. “These achievements reflect the hard work and dedication of the utility professionals who ensure clean water services remain reliable, effective and resilient for the communities they serve. NACWA is proud to celebrate their accomplishments and the critical role they play in safeguarding public health and the environment.”
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