The Groundwater Protector Award recognizes people in government, industry, and the private sector for their public service efforts in conjunction with groundwater conservation and protection.
Nominees for this award may come from outside the groundwater industry. Nominations are made by the Government Affairs Committee with the approval of the NGWA Awards Committee.
In 1999, the Groundwater Protector combined with the Groundwater Advocate into one award.
2009
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar
Representative John Linder (R-Georgia)
2007
Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-New Mexico)
Representative Bart Gordon (D-Tennessee)
Senator Pete Domenici (R-New Mexico)
Representative Tom Latham (R-Iowa)
2005
Senator Richard Durbin (D-Illinois)
Representative Jo Ann Emerson (R-Missouri)
2004
Representative Henry Bonilla (R-Texas)
Representative Paul Gillmor (R-Ohio)
2003
Representative John Boehner (R-Ohio)
Senator Tom Daschle (D-South Dakota)
2002
Senator Bob Smith (R-New Hampshire)
Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho)
2001
Senator Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania)
Representative Richard Pombo (R-California)
Representative David Hobson (R-Ohio)
2000
Representative Charles Stenholm (D-Texas)
Representative Richard Burr (R-North Carolina)
Representative Larry Combest (R-Texas)
Thomas V. Riewe
Representative Dennis Hastert (R-Illinois)
1996
Thomas V. Cech, AICP
Representative Mike Oxley (R-Ohio)
Representative Jimmy Hayes (R-Louisiana)
Representative Bill Emerson (R-Missouri)
Senator Dirk Kempthorne (R-Idaho)