American Water Works Co. Inc., a publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company, announced the achievement of 18 Partnership for Safe Water awards. The awards, which honor the efforts in continuously optimizing treatment plant and distribution system operation and performance, were presented during the 2017 American Water Works Assn. Annual Conference in Philadelphia.
“We hold ourselves to the highest standards in delivering clean, safe, high-quality drinking water to our customers while also ensuring that the water service is reliable and affordable,” said Susan Story, president and CEO. “Having our facilities recognized by the Partnership for Safe Water for going above and beyond EPA water quality standards is very meaningful accomplishment for us. This recognition is a significant achievement in our ongoing efforts to not only meet stringent performance goals but also deliver the high-quality service that our customers have come to expect.”
As a member of the Partnership for Safe Water, American Water demonstrates its commitment to improve the quality of drinking water delivered to customers by optimizing its system operations. In American Water’s footprint, one system received an award for its Distribution Program, one plant received an award for maintaining Phase III certification for five years, one plant received recognition for maintaining Phase III certification for 10 years, and 15 plants were presented with the Phase III Directors Award status for 15 years.
Nationally, more than 400 surface water treatment plants are part of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Partnership for Safe Water Program, a voluntary effort that is designed to increase protection against microbial contamination through treatment optimization.
“We are extremely proud that American Water accounts for about 20% of the participating plants, and has received more Partnership for Safe Water awards than any other utility nationwide,” Story said. “Our team of more than 6,800 professionals works hard in many ways to deliver clean water for life that is also safe, reliable, and affordable, because our customers deserve nothing less.”
With a total of 68 surface-water treatment plants recognized, American Water accounts for about one-third of all plants that have received the Five-Year Phase III award nationwide.