The Assn. of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) honored Riverside Public Utilities (RPU) in Riverside, Calif., with its Platinum Award for Utility Excellence, which recognizes the extraordinary performance of water agencies where management vision and employee commitment create a sustainable utility producing ample supplies of clean, safe drinking water.
The AMWA is made up of the nation's largest publicly owned water utilities with members providing high-quality drinking water to more than 133 million Americans. RPU was one of nine water utilities in the country to receive Platinum Award honors for 2011.
"For more than 108 years, our city's public water utility has been committed to providing high-quality drinking water to the community, while ensuring that a safe and reliable supply is available for future generations," said Riverside's Mayor Ronald O. Loveridge. "So it is very rewarding to have RPU recognized as one of the nation's top water providers."
The agency sited RPU's strong local partnerships, the utility's proactive approach to groundwater management and its prudent fiscal strategies among its reasons for honoring Riverside this year.
The basis of the awards criteria were developed by a panel of respected water and wastewater utility executives commissioned by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the AMWA and other water industry associations.
Criteria includes: product quality, customer satisfaction, employee and leadership development, operational optimization, financial viability, infrastructure stability, water resource adequacy and community sustainability.
Source: PR Newswire
