Pennsylvania American Water’s Shady Lane Treatment Plant, which serves approximately 15,000 customers in Montgomery and Chester counties, has received the "Directors Award" from the Partnership for Safe Water, a program developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, American Water Works Assn. (AWWA) and associated organizations to guide water suppliers towards improving water quality by optimizing system operations.
Pennsylvania American Water’s facility, which is located along the Schuylkill River near Spring City, earned the award for successfully completing the Self- Assessment and Peer Review phase of the Partnership program. This phase includes comprehensive evaluation of treatment plant operations and performance, identification of performance limiting factors, and the development of action plans to achieve optimization. The plant will be one of an elite group of utilities honored by the Partnership at the annual conference of the AWWA in Denver in June. AWWA is the largest and oldest worldwide organization dedicated to safe water.
"We are honored to receive this award," said Paul Zielinski, senior director of water quality and environmental compliance for Pennsylvania American Water. "Our goal is to continuously strive to optimize operations and improve the quality of water we deliver to our customers. Our plant staff worked very hard to earn the Partnership’s Directors Award, which reflects our ongoing commitment to protecting public health."
Zielinski noted that 32 of Pennsylvania American Water’s surface treatment plants have earned Directors Awards.
The Partnership for Safe Water is a voluntary self-assessment and optimization program for water treatment plant and distribution system operation. More than 220 utility subscribers, collectively serving more than 85 million people, are committed to the Partnership’s goals of providing safe, high-quality drinking water through achieving operational excellence in water treatment. Partnership members participate in a rigorous four-phase self-assessment and peer review process, developed by industry experts, and are recognized nationally for their commitment to delivering safe water to their communities.
Source: American Water Works Assn.
