FRANKFORT, Ky. (March 23, 2015) – Kentucky’s Energy and Environment Cabinet has recognized 34 surface water treatment plants in the state for meeting the goals of Kentucky’s Area-Wide Optimization Program (AWOP).
The purpose of AWOP is to encourage water treatment plants and distributors of drinking water to surpass state and federal goals and standards. Kentucky is one of 19 states that participate in AWOP initiatives.
AWOP provides tools and approaches by which drinking water systems can optimize water quality and provide consumers an increased level of public health protection. A goal of the program also is to meet water quality goals by lowering turbidity in drinking water by improving existing facilities without making capital improvements. Turbidity, or cloudiness, is a measurement of particles in water including soil, algae, bacteria, viruses and other substances.
“Together, these 34 plants serve more than 1.5 million Kentuckians,” said Peter Goodmann, Director of the Division of Water. “Water Treatment Plant staffs deserve recognition and appreciation for their daily efforts to provide a quality drinking water to their customers that goes beyond what is required by the Safe Drinking Water Act.”
Two water treatment plants received an AWOP Champion Award. This award recognizes the level of optimization achieved, as well as the system’s overall compliance record for the previous three years. Logan-Todd Regional Water Commission was awarded the Champion Award for a large water treatment plant, and Williamsburg Water Department received the Champion Award for a small water treatment plant.
Thirteen AWOP drinking water systems received a gold seal on their certificate, for achieving the AWOP goals 100 percent of the time in 2015. These systems include Barbourville Water and Electric, Greensburg Water Works, Jackson County Water Association, Jackson Municipal Water Works, Jamestown Municipal Water Works, Kentucky American Plant C, Laurel County Water District #2, Liberty Water Works, Madisonville Light and Water, McCreary County Water District Plant B, Western Fleming Water District, Williamsburg Water Department and Wood Creek Water District.
The following drinking water systems received certificates for meeting the AWOP criteria:
•Barbourville Water & Electric
•Burkesville Water Works
•Cave Run Regional Water Commission
•Columbia/Adair County Water Commission
•Crittenden-Livingston County Water District
•Franklin Water Works
•Glasgow Water Company Plant A
•Green River Valley Water District
•Greensburg Water Works
•Hardin County Water District #2 Plant A
•Hodgenville Water Works
•Irvine Municipal Utilities
•Jackson County Water Association
•Jackson Municipal Water Works
•Jamestown Municipal Water Works
•Kentucky American Plant B
•Kentucky American Plant C
•Laurel County Water District #2
•Lawrenceburg Water & Sewer Department
•Leitchfield Water Works
•Liberty Water Works
•Logan Todd Regional Water Commission
•London Utility Commission
•Louisville Water Company Plant A
•Louisville Water Company Plant B
•Madisonville Light & Water
•McCreary County Water District Plant B
•Ohio County Water District
•Pineville Water Service
•Rattlesnake Ridge Water District
•Richmond Utilities
•Western Fleming Water District
•Williamsburg Water Department
•Wood Creek Water District
For additional information about AWOP, visit http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/drinkingwater/pws/optimization/index.cfm, or contact Brian Chitti at [email protected] or 502-564-3410.
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