A UC Davis professor who is the world's foremost expert on safe and beneficial uses of recycled water is the 2001 recipient of the prestigious Stockholm Water Prize. The prize, which brings the winner $150,000, is considered by water scientists to be on a par with the Nobel Prizes in other disciplines. It is an international environmental award presented in honor of outstanding achievements related to protection of the world's water resources.

The prize winner, Takashi Asano, is a UC Davis adjunct professor of civil and environmental engineering. He has been a teacher and researcher at the university for 20 years. Asano received the prize for "his outstanding contributions to efficient use of water in the domain of wastewater reclamation, recycling and reuse through theoretical developments, practical research and worldwide adaptation and promotion," wrote the Water Prize nominating committee.

"Dr. Asano's dedication to directing his world-class research toward society's needs makes us all proud to be part of UC Davis," said campus chancellor Larry Vanderhoef. "I know he will not mind our basking in a small corner of his well-deserved spotlight."

Throughout the world, Asano has promoted the use of reclaimed water instead of drinking-quality water for purposes such as agricultural and landscape irrigation, industrial processes, toilet flushing, environmental enhancement, and replenishing of depleted groundwater aquifers. In the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, Asano spearheaded basic water-reuse research as the staff of the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) in Sacramento. This research culminated in the development of the California Water Recycling Criteria, which now form the basis for most international projects and policies worldwide. In recent years, Asano has contributed substantially further to this area by improving techniques for assessing the risk of microbial contamination in reused water.

Asano recognized early that developing countries in arid and semi-arid regions in the world, with fast-growing populations and limited economic resources, needed special attention. He contributed significantly to solutions of water-scarcity problems in developing countries through assignments with international organizations like the World Bank, the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

He has also contributed to the world's knowledge of water conservation and efficient use of water through active participation in international organizations, the education of young water scientists and engineers, and by authoring more than 50 articles and books, including the edited book "Water Reclamation and Reuse," the definitive reference work on the subject.

The Stockholm Water Prize is awarded to an institution, organization, individual or company that has contributed substantially to water preservation and enhancement through applied research or direct action. It recognizes efforts that increase knowledge of, and win respect for, the water environment. Asano will receive the prize from the king of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf, on August 16 at a royal ceremony and banquet in the Stockholm City Hall during World Water Week in Stockholm. The prize is administered by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), a scientific, technical and educational organization. For more information, see www.siwi.org.