Will be honored at Clean Water Act 50th Anniversary event
NRCM news release
September 20, 2022 (Augusta, ME) – A broad range of volunteers and professionals have been honored as “Clean Water Champions” in Maine as part of a year-long celebration for the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act. The 100 Clean Water Champions will be celebrated at a September 29th event on the banks of the Androscoggin River in Lewiston.
From Maine tribal members, scientists, and educators to lake association volunteers, municipal and state government employees, and former elected officials, the list of Clean Water Champions provides a powerful snapshot of how generations of Mainers have worked to advance the Clean Water Act through individual action.
The Champions were selected by the state’s leading environmental advocacy group, the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM), from scores of nominations received online for those who have been leaders in river, lake, coastal water, and drinking water clean-up, stewardship, and protection.
“Over the past 50 years, countless Maine people across all walks of life in dozens of professions and through volunteer work have helped protect the waters of Maine that are so crucial to our economy and way of life,” said NRCM Interim CEO and Advocacy Director Pete Didisheim. “Maine’s rivers, lakes, streams, and coastal waters would not be as clean and healthy as they are today if not for the commitment and hard work of these champions, and the many others who also have played a role.”
The passage of the Clean Water Act on October 18, 1972, was driven in part by Maine’s posterchild polluted rivers and relied on leadership from former U.S. Senator Edmund Muskie, local scientists, and advocacy from state-based conservation groups, reinforcing the unique role everyone — from political leaders to businesses and everyday Mainers — has in protecting clean water.
The September 29th event in Lewiston celebrating 50 years of clean water progress is organized by NRCM, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, the Bath-Brunswick Regional Chamber, the Associated General Contractors of Maine, the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, and the Maine Water Environment Association.
