For three decades, environmental engineer Steve Silva managed a wide range of programs for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – Region 1 (New England), including NPDES (wastewater) Permitting, Estuaries and Water Quality, Water Compliance and Water Quality Standards. Save The Bay staff can attest to Steve’s history and reputation of putting the health of estuaries, including Narragansett Bay, first. Steve’s many honors from EPA included the Excellence in Watershed Protection Programs.
Upon retiring from EPA in 2013, Steve applied his knowledge, skills and passion for clean water as a volunteer with the Taunton River Watershed Alliance (TRWA), and became a driving force in the growth of TRWA’s water quality monitoring program. Under Steve’s leadership, the 30-plus volunteer force samples and tests the Taunton River, its tributaries and Mount Hope Bay for bacteria, nitrates, phosphorus and temperature. Most importantly, Steve and TRWA have used their data to advocate for wastewater permits that are more protective of the Taunton River Watershed, including the recent run of nitrogen limit reductions implemented by EPA. In recognizing Steve Silva for the 2025 Environmental Achievement Award, Save The Bay also expresses its great appreciation to the Taunton River Watershed Alliance for its decades of effective advocacy for the Taunton River and Mount Hope Bay watersheds.