The City of Santa Cruz’s Environmental Compliance Program in association with the California Water Environment Association (Monterey Bay Section) will host the Pollution Prevention Awards Event 2016 on Thursday, Sept. 15, to honor regional wastewater treatment agencies and local businesses who have furthered pharmaceutical diversion from water sources and treatment facilities.

The invitation-only awards event will recognize five Publicly Owned Wastewater Treatment Works (Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz, Watsonville, Monterey Regional and Carmel Area) for their leadership roles in enabling their communities to sustain the quality of their surface and recreational waters in the Monterey Bay region.

The event, which will be held at the Santa Cruz Dream Inn, will also recognize the achievements of dischargers who have demonstrated consistent compliance with higher Best Management Practices from these municipalities. These include 51 Santa Cruz food service and vehicle service facilities who have won Clean Ocean Business Awards consistently in the last five years, three exemplary industrial dischargers from the City of Scotts Valley and three from the Carmel Area.

The event also will discuss progress on the City of Santa Cruz’s new ordinance for safe collection and disposal of sharps and unwanted pharmaceuticals and celebrates National Pollution Prevention Week which begins on Monday, Sept. 19.