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Health & Fitness

Debra Shore named Illinois Water Environment Association "Public Official of the Year"

MWRD commissioner Debra Shore was presented with the inaugural Illinois Water Environment Association Public Official of the Year award recently.

 

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) Commissioner Debra Shore was presented with the Illinois Water Environment Association’s (IWEA’s) inaugural Public Official of the Year award during a ceremony held at Erin’s Pavilion in Springfield, IL on March 18.

The Public Official 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.

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“This is a great honor, and I am very proud to bring this award back to the District,” said Commissioner Shore.  “Everyone who works at the District is committed to improving the water environment to make the Chicago waterways and region a better place to live and work.”

Dr. Krishna Pagilla, a professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology and president of Illinois Water Environment Association, submitted the nomination to the IWEA’s award selection committee.

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“Commissioner Shore’s work in protecting the wilderness areas in Chicago area and her commitment to storm water management in Cook County are demonstrated examples of her dedication to preserving and improving the water environment. This award, richly deserved by her, will further strengthen her resolve and commitment for continued leadership to protect our water resources” said Dr. Pagilla.

Commissioner Shore is chairman of two MWRD committees, the Municipalities Committee and the Public Information and Education Committee. She is also vice chairman of the Budget and Employment Committee and the Engineering Committee. Committee assignments are vital to agency operations as their leaders establish policy direction.

Since the MWRD is charged with wastewater treatment and stormwater management in Cook County, Commissioner Shore is working to expedite projects that will help alleviate flooding and improve water quality.

“When the Thornton Reservoir comes online by 2015, the quality of the Chicago Area Waterways and incidents of flooding will improve,” Commissioner Shore said. “We are also developing methods for recovery and reuse of phosphorus and nitrogen from the wastewater treatment process that will further enhance water quality.”

Commissioner Shore was first elected to the Board in 2006 and reelected in 2012. She is the founding editor of Chicago Wilderness magazine and has been an active volunteer in habitat restoration in the Cook County Forest Preserves, where she was a member of the board of Friends of the Forest Preserves. She also served on the Illinois Environmental Council and the women’s board of the University of Chicago. She is a member of the Great Lakes Protection Fund board.

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