The Applied Water Management Group of American Water has been honored with the 2006 New Jersey Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award for development of a first-of-its-kind Reclaimed Water for Beneficial Reuse (RWBR) project at the Homestead of Mansfield active adult community in Burlington County, N.J. New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine presented the company with the award in the Clean and Plentiful Water category at a ceremony and press event on Nov. 29 at Drumthwacket, the official residence of the Governor.
“This is a very important award for American Water because we are headquartered in New Jersey, and recognition by our governor and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) is validation of the work we do,” said American Water President and CEO Don Correll. “It also recognizes our company’s commitment to finding innovative solutions, and I applaud the great effort and creativity of our more than 1,000 employees here in the state and the 7,000 throughout the country.”
The New Jersey Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award recognizes the company’s positive influence in the areas of improving surface or ground water quality, ensuring sufficient quantities of water through reuse and conservation techniques, and promoting or developing progressive land use policies and watershed management approaches to improve protection of surface and groundwater sources.
The Mansfield active adult community project, which was initiated in August 2006, involved a series of upgrades to Homestead at Mansfield’s existing wastewater facility and enabled delivery of high-quality water to the sprawling grounds of the community. Construction took place over a six-year period and was aided by a $100,000 grant from the NJDEP.
Under continuous-operation conditions, the facility will provide up to 275,000 gal per day of reclaimed water to the 295-acre site. The water will be used to maintain the residential grounds and will help achieve multiple state goals related to Smart Growth.
“Reclaimed water has been treated to a high quality and has long-term implications on water supply,” said Edmund DeVeaux, vice president of business development for Applied Water Management. “Treating and reusing water that would otherwise be wasted helps conserve one of the earth’s most precious natural resources.”
The awards were established six years ago as the New Jersey Environmental Excellence Awards, and were re-named this year to reflect Governor Corzine’s commitment to state environmental issues. Sponsors of the awards include the state of New Jersey and NJDEP, with the New Jersey Corporation for Advanced Technology (NJCAT) and the New Jersey State League of Municipalities as co-sponsors.
Source: American Water
