SouthWest Water Co. announced that it was recognized with five 2010 awards from two local sections of the California Water Environment Assn. (CWEA): two Plant of the Year awards, a Safety Agency of the Year Award, a Supervisor of the Year Award and an Inspirational Operator of the Year Award.
The wastewater treatment plant the company operates for the Mountain House Community Services District in California was named Plant of the Year by CWEA’s Northern San Joaquin Valley section. The award highlights the operating team’s ability to maintain the plant’s permit requirements throughout periods of extensive repairs required to troubleshoot existing construction design issues. The plant is designed to reclaim up to 3 million gal per day (mgd) of residential, commercial and industrial wastewater and utilizes sequential batch reactor technology to achieve strict effluent requirements.
CWEA’s Northern Sacramento Valley section bestowed its Plant of the Year Award on a wastewater treatment plant the company operates for the city of Willows. The award praises the plant’s operating team for having zero safety and compliance violations, maintaining all mandatory reporting and keeping the facility in an exemplary condition. The tertiary conventional activated sludge wastewater treatment plant can treat up to a peak flow of 2 mgd and serves a community of about 6,200 residents. The SouthWest Water team operates the plant to meet all waste discharge permits and produce an effluent that is recycled for irrigation of local farms. This is the second year in a row this team has won the Plant of the Year award.
The same CWEA chapter also selected the company’s contract with the city of Corning as the Safety Agency of the Year, highlighting its strong safety record with no lost time incidents, twice-a-month training sessions, up-to-date records, equipment inspections and strong standard operating procedures.
The chapter also distinguished two SouthWest Water employees: District Manager Kathy Stone was presented with Supervisor of the Year Award and Facility Manager Jerry Stephens with Inspirational Operator of the Year Award. Stone, a certified wastewater professional and a SouthWest Water veteran of more than 20 years, oversees all of the company’s water and wastewater operations and certified laboratories in California. Nominated by her staff, Stone was called a visionary leader, knowledgeable supervisor and caring teacher who guides her staff to great performance. Stephens runs a wastewater treatment plant the company operates under contract for the city of Red Bluff, and was commended for volunteering his time at various chapter events and going above and beyond the call of duty.
Source: Business Wire
