Thurston County recently announced that its natural resources program manager, Bryan Benjamin, received the WaterNow Alliance’s 2026 Emerging Leader Award.
The honor recognizes water professionals who have demonstrated passion, initiative and promise in advancing clean water projects, according to a news release.
Benjamin led county efforts across several connected water initiatives:
• Protecting water availability in fast-growth areas: Helped secure funding to protect water rights in the county’s fastest-growing rural areas so new and existing residents, farms and businesses can count on clean water without harming streams and wildlife.
• First-of-its-kind restoration fund: Led the creation of the county’s first local fund dedicated to stream restoration. By combining grant money with local fees, the fund ensures restoration projects are completed and maintained.
• Smarter water policies: Helped update the county’s Comprehensive Plan with practical policies that protect rural water supplies, reduce conflicts during dry years and support long-term resilience.
• Stronger partnerships: Renewed commitments to regional watershed groups such as the Chehalis Basin Partnership, Nisqually River Council and Salmon Lead Entities, including improving staff engagement with tribal governments during policy updates, honoring government-to-government responsibilities with consistent input.
“This important recognition isn’t just about resource management — it’s about resource security. Our staff are protecting the community’s water and agricultural land assets now for community use,” Thurston County Commission Board Chair Tye Menser said in the release. “There is a quiet but unsettling shift happening nationwide as essential natural resources are being consolidated for industrial and digital infrastructure. County staff are working to lock down these natural assets because no amount of money can replace them. These efforts ensure that Thurston County remains a viable place to live, farm and do business for generations to come.”
When asked what drives his work, Benjamin pointed to a fundamental principle: clean water is a vital public resource, and the county has a unique opportunity to protect it, especially in rural areas and natural landscapes where water connects people, farms and ecosystems.
“I’m proud to work on a team that grounds our decisions in reliable data and makes sure the community has a real say in how we care for our resources,” Benjamin said in the release. “Local hydrology, or the movement of water through our landscape, is the foundation of our climate resilience because we can get water to people and natural systems when it’s needed most. The County is in a unique position to manage this at the watershed scale.”
To learn more about the county’s many water-related and community planning projects, visit the county website at ThurstonPlanning.org. To learn about WaterNow Alliance and its work to help communities, visit www.WaterNow.org.
