August 13, 2008

Charlotte, NC -  Four Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities wastewater treatment plants have received national industry awards for protecting public health and the environment during the 2007 calendar year. Peak Performance Awards awarded by the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) recognize the hardworking professionals at our local wastewater plants who protect water quality through strong compliance with individual plant discharge permit limits.

Municipal wastewater plants across Mecklenburg County collect and treat a combined average of 78.4 million gallons of wastewater each day. Every facility performs continuous testing under tight water quality standards as prescribed by federal and state regulators. There are literally thousands of chances for any type of violation to occur at any plant within a year's time, and some circumstances are beyond a plant's control.

City-operated plants have earned NACWA awards during each of the past seven years that entries have been submitted.  Gold Awards go to plants with 100 percent, perfect compliance with their permit requirements during a calendar year. Silver Awards go to plants with no more than five permit violations during the year.

This year's local honorees include:

McDowell Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant (Huntersville) - GOLD Award
Mallard Creek Water Reclamation Facility (Northeast Charlotte) - GOLD Award
McAlpine Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant (Pineville) - SILVER Award
Sugar Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant (South Charlotte) - SILVER Award

"Our environmental management team is always pushing for perfection," said Utilities spokesman Vic Simpson. "Our staff cleans the community's wastewater to meet rigorous water quality standards every hour of every day, before recycling the water to local river basins for others to use.

"Wastewater treatment is a critical side of environmental protection that rarely gets the credit it deserves," Simpson said. "We didn't just jump on the 'green' bandwagon, we've been a driver for a long time."