The Water Education Foundation has named Alex Hager, KUNC’s reporter covering the Colorado River Basin, as this year’s recipient of the Rita Schmidt Sudman Award for Excellence in Water Journalism.

The award recognizes Hager’s clear, deeply sourced reporting that helps the public understand the people, policies and ecosystems tied to one of the West’s most important rivers, said Jenn Bowles, the Foundation’s Executive Director. Hager’s public radio reports reach audiences across the basin and airs nationally on NPR programs such as All Things Considered, Science Friday and Marketplace.

“I’m deeply grateful for this recognition from the Water Education Foundation,” Hager said. “The Colorado River is the lifeblood of our region, yet so many people who rely on it don’t know where their water comes from or the challenges the river is facing. I was one of those people until I started this job. It has been a delight and a challenge to learn about the science and policy that shape our shared resource along the way.”

Hager is the first broadcast journalist to recieve the award that acknowledges outstanding work illuminating complicated water issues in California and the West. It includes a check for $1,000 and allows the recipient to take advantage of the Foundation’s resources, such as water maps, Layperson’s Guides and water tours, to beef up their knowledge and sources even more. See past award recipients here.

Bowles presented the award to Hager on Wednesday (Oct. 1) at the Foundation’s Water Summit in Sacramento. Bowles, a veteran journalist, said she chose Hager as the award recipient because he is one of the few reporters devoted to covering the Colorado River.

“The Colorado River is a critical resource to no less than 40 million people who depend on the management decisions being made,” Bowles said. “Alex Hager has covered its shrinking water supply, climate change impacts, and the complex negotiations among states that rely on it, along with tribal water rights on the river.”

Sudman, a former broadcast reporter who led the Foundation for 35 years and endowed the award, specified that the current Executive Director selects the recipient each year. Sudman endowed the journalism award with $50,000 to support and encourage coverage of water in California and across the West.

Independent, impartial journalism that explains and illuminates myriad water resource issues throughout the West has been a key part of the Foundation’s mission since its founding in 1977. The Foundation’s journalism team produces articles for Western Water, an online news magazine.