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June 6, 2001

MWRA Board Member and Norwood Town Manager Wins National Environmental Achievement Award

John Carroll, Vice-Chairman of MWRA's unpaid Board of Directors and Norwood Town Manager, has been awarded a prestigious National Environmental Achievement Award. The Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies (AMSA) presented Carroll with the award for his successful leadership at MWRA since its inception in 1985.

AMSA awarded Mr. Carroll an Individual Achievement - Public Service Award for "outstanding public service exhibiting a particular and continuing awareness of the challenges faced by municipal wastewater treatment agencies." AMSA is a national organization and a key participant in both the legislative and regulatory arenas to protect water quality and represent the municipal and ratepayer perspective.

As described in the AMSA award, Mr. Carroll "brings a combination of exceptionally strong experience, an understanding of community issues, commitment to the MWRA agenda, energy, focus, and last but not least, common sense, to MWRA board meetings."

Carroll has played a leading role as the Board has managed both the policy and construction issues related to the MWRA’s Boston Harbor Project. The centerpiece of the $3.8 billion project is the new Deer Island Wastewater Treatment Plant, the second largest plant in the U.S. The new plant, constructed under tight control by a federal court order, is now discharging about 350 million gallons per day and meeting a stringent federal/state water quality permit. The Boston Harbor Project, which includes the treatment plant, a 9.5 mile outfall tunnel, and a sludge-to-fertilizer plant in Quincy, has been called by EPA "one of America’s greatest environmental success stories."

AMSA’s award to Carroll also highlights his role in developing MWRA’s unique $100 million program with 43 local communities to remove groundwater and rainwater (called infiltration and inflow or "I/I") from sewer systems. Carroll has been instrumental in launching a Regional I/I Task Force to develop regional strategies for reducing I/I levels.

According to the AMSA award "Mr. Carroll’s intrinsic understanding as an industry professional of the need to advocate for often-unappreciated water and wastewater infrastructure despite their rate impacts made him extremely effective at advancing the entire MWRA program. At the same time, he used his position as representative of MWRA customer communities to effectively impact budgetary discipline on MWRA’s projects and organization."

Mr. Carroll is the only original member on the MWRA's 11-member Board of Directors, which began in 1985 when the agency was created. He holds one of the three seats on the board for the MWRA Advisory Board, which represents the 60 cities and towns in the MWRA water and sewer service areas.

Mr. Carroll has held many important positions in public service over the past 50 years. He has been Town Manager of Norwood since 1978 and was Massachusetts Commissioner of the Public Works from 1975 to 1978. He has held positions as Public Works Director and Town Engineer in Lexington (1958-1967), Editor of New England Construction Magazine (1967-1971), and Executive Director of the Construction Industries of Massachusetts (1971-1974).

He holds a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Northeastern University and is the father of 18 children and stepchildren