Mayor Barlow Receives ‘Public Officials Award’ From Water Environment Federation

by Contributor | September 24, 2019 10:23 pm

CHICAGO – Oswego Mayor Billy Barlow traveled to Chicago, Illinois, today (September 24) to attend the annual Water Environment Federation conference and be recognized by WEF for his work with the Oswego Water and Wastewater treatment facilities.

The “Public Officials Award” is presented to an elected or appointed public official that has made a documented, significant contribution in the areas of clean water legislation, public policy, government service, or another area of public prominence that resulted in improvements to the water environment.

Mayor Barlow, who earned an Environmental Technology Management degree from Arizona State University, was recognized for his commitment to improving the condition and operation of the city of Oswego’s Water Plant and the city of Oswego’s two wastewater facilities.

Since taking office, Mayor Barlow has invested more than $15 million into the three facilities, dramatically improving the conditions of the plants and the city distribution system.

Barlow has led the city through two phases of a massive, court ordered sewer separation project, eliminated sand mixtures from the snow removal process and championed efforts to protect, preserve, and grow water resources and water quality in the Oswego area.

“I’m honored to receive this award from the Water Environment Federation and proud that our efforts towards improving water quality and protecting our environment have been recognized. As mayor, I’m proud of the work we’ve done, in a short amount of time, to improve our operations, invest in our facilities, and place water quality and protecting our environment among our top priorities,” Barlow said. “I’d like to thank Ken Scherrieble and the Camden Group, our city employees who work at these facilities and the residents of the city of Oswego for supporting our investment in these facilities and giving me the opportunity to make a positive impact on our local community. Moving forward, we will continue investing in our facilities, be conscious of our environment and implement policies and make decisions with the best interest of our environment at the forefront.”

Ken Scherrieble, president of Camden Group, Inc., joined Mayor Barlow in Chicago.

“Mayor Barlow has worked tirelessly since his first day in office to reverse years of neglect and lack of investment in the city’s two water resource recovery facilities. With his leadership, we’ve made lasting change in the way the facilities are managed and through investment the city is successfully tackling issues and improving the quality of water sent back to Lake Ontario head on,” said Scherrieble. “It is a pleasure for the Camden Group, through a public-private partnership, to partner with Mayor Barlow, the Oswego Common Council and the city of Oswego workforce to significantly invest in our facilities and lower the annual sewer rate for city residents. Our combination clearly demonstrates that with real leadership, great things happen.”

Untied State Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland was also awarded the “Public Officials Award” Tuesday evening.

The Water Environment Federation is a not-for-profit technical and educational organization of 35,000 individual members and 75 affiliated member associations representing water quality professionals around the world.

Since 1928, WEF and its members have protected public health and the environment.

As a global water sector leader, its mission is to connect water professionals; enrich the expertise of water professionals; increase the awareness of the impact and value of water; and provide a platform for water sector innovation.

Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/news/oswego/mayor-barlow-receives-public-officials-award-from-water-environment-federation/

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