FRANKFORT, Ky. (July 17, 2018) – Kentucky’s Energy and Environment Cabinet has recognized 42 surface water treatment plants in the Commonwealth for meeting the 2017 goals of Kentucky’s Area-Wide Optimization Program (AWOP).
AWOP is a multi-state initiative administered through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency which encourages drinking water systems to voluntarily achieve optimization goals that go beyond regulatory requirements. Kentucky is one of 26 participating states. All of Kentucky’s public water systems are encouraged to participate in AWOP in order to provide the highest quality water to residents.
AWOP provides tools and approaches for drinking water systems to meet water quality optimization goals and to provide an increased and sustainable level of public health protection to consumers. The program emphasizes the optimization of turbidity removal through the drinking water treatment process. Turbidity, or cloudiness, is a measurement of particles in water including soil, algae, bacteria, viruses and other substances. AWOP also focuses on improving the operation of existing facilities rather than implementing costly capital improvements.
“Together, these 42 drinking water treatment plants serve more than 1.1 million Kentuckians,” said Joe Uliasz, supervisor of the Division of Water’s Drinking Water Compliance and Technical Assistance Section. “These drinking water treatment plant operators deserve our recognition and appreciation for their daily efforts to exceed the requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act.”
Two Kentucky water treatment plants received an AWOP Champion Award. This award takes into account the high 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 2017 Champion Award for a large drinking water treatment plant (designed to produce three million or more gallons of water a day). Leitchfield Water Works received the 2017 Champion Award for a small drinking water treatment plant (designed to treat less than three million gallons of water a day).
Thirteen AWOP drinking water systems received special recognition, with a gold seal on their certificates, for achieving the AWOP goals 100 percent of the time in 2017. These include Barbourville Water and Electric, Bullock Pen Water District, Glasgow Water Company – Plant A, Greenup Water System, Jackson County Water Association, Jamestown Municipal Water Works, Kentucky American Water Co. – Plant B, Laurel County Water District No. 2, Lawrenceburg Water and Sewer Department, Liberty Water Works, Logan Todd Regional Water Commission, McCreary County Water District – Plant B, and Rattlesnake Ridge Water District.
The following drinking water systems received certificates for meeting the AWOP criteria:
- Barbourville Water and Electric
- Berea Municipal Utilities
- Bullock Pen Water District
- Burkesville Water Works
- Century Aluminum
- Danville City Water Works
- Franklin Water Works
- Glasgow Water Company – Plants A and B
- Green River Valley Water District
- Greensburg Water Works
- Greenup Water System
- Hardin County Water District No. 2 – Plants A and B
- Hartford Municipal Water Works
- Hodgenville Water Works
- Hopkinsville Water Environment Authority
- Jackson County Water Association
- Jackson Municipal Water Works
- Jamestown Municipal Water Works
- Kentucky American Water Co. – Plants B and C
- Kentucky State Penitentiary
- Laurel County Water District No. 2
- Lawrenceburg Water and Sewer Department
- Leitchfield Water Works
- Liberty Water Works
- Logan Todd Regional Water Commission
- London Utility Commission
- Louisa Water Department
- Madisonville Light and Water
- McCreary County Water District – Plant A and B
- Morehead State University
- Northern Kentucky Water Service – Plant C
- Rattlesnake Ridge Water District
- Richmond Utilities
- Stanford Water Works
- West Liberty Water Company
- Western Fleming Water District
- Williamsburg Water Department
- Winchester Municipal Utilities
For additional information about AWOP visit https://www.epa.gov/dwstandardsregulations/optimization-program-drinking-water-systems
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