WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan. 27, 2009 — The partnership between the City of Fayetteville, Ark., and CH2M HILL OMI was recognized among the nation's best when The United States Conference of Mayors presented its annual Public/Private Partnership Awards last week.

The Outstanding Achievement Award was one of just five Public/Private Partnership Awards presented during the Conference's 77th Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C. The award recognizes the partnership between the city and company to promote sustainability at the city's wastewater facilities and in all city operations to help make Northwest Arkansas' "Green Valley" even greener.

CH2M HILL OMI has managed the city's wastewater facilities since 1987, and the partnership has extended beyond the wastewater facilities to support the city's efforts to assure sustainability is a practice around the community by cooperating with business and academia to increase awareness about sustainability in the region.

Within the wastewater facilities, CH2M HILL OMI has replaced a truck with a tricycle and implemented a no-idling policy to reduce fuel and associated emissions. Employees got rid of paper cups and bottled water and replaced them with mugs and reusable water bottles. And the company tested and purchased a new oxygen system developed at the University of Arkansas that reduced energy and chemical costs by nearly $35,000 annually at one treatment facility.

CH2M HILL OMI also was the first sponsor to sign on to Fayetteville's first Sustainability Summit, an all-day event held in October 2008 to help citizens, students and local businesses learn how Fayetteville, its business partners and its corporate citizens are leading the way in sustainable initiatives. The Summit showcased sustainable cities of the future with a keynote on Masdar City, the world's first zero-waste, carbon-neutral city in the United Arab Emirates.

"Fayetteville is truly a leader in implementing sustainable practices throughout the city and encouraging others to do the same," says CH2M HILL OMI president Elisa M. Speranza, who accepted the award at the Jan. 18 ceremony. "We're proud of our Fayetteville team as they work with the City to provide innovative environmental stewardship approaches and essential services every day."

The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. The Conference established its Public/Private Partnership Awards to encourage businesses and cities to work together to improve local communities. Selection criteria includes improvement in delivery of services, replicability, sustainability, cost savings, creativity of approach, benefits to both public and private partners, economic and business benefits, and measurable results.

This is CH2M HILL OMI's third Outstanding Achievement Award. The Conference recognized the company's municipal services partnership with Johns Creek, Ga., in 2008 and its wastewater operations and maintenance partnership with Augusta, Ga., in 2004.

Clients in government and industry rely on the people of CH2M HILL OMI to provide a range of custom-tailored operations and maintenance solutions. The company's services include water and wastewater system optimization; contract O&M of water, wastewater and other utilities; and complete municipal operations, including administration, public works and community development – all backed by a commitment to safety, quality, innovation and customer service. For more information, visit www.omi.ch2mhill.com.

Employee-owned CH2M HILL is a $5 billion global firm providing engineering, construction, operations and related technical services to public and private clients. CH2M HILL has more than 25,000 employees worldwide and is routinely ranked among the Fortune Most Admired Companies in its industry. For more information, visit www.ch2mhill.com.