Hillsboro, OR — September 19, 2005 —
For the first time in the history of the award program, all four Clean Water Services’ wastewater treatment facilities received top awards for full permit compliance from the
National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA). Gold Peak Performance Awards were presented to
Rock Creek,
Durham,
Hillsboro and
Forest Grove wastewater treatment facilities at a NACWA ceremony in Washington D.C. in May.
Clean Water Services’ Board of Directors will formally present the awards to wastewater operations, maintenance and engineering staff at the Board meeting at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, September 20, 2005 in the Shirley Huffman Auditorium of the Public Services Building, 155 N First Avenue, in Hillsboro.
Gold Awards are given to wastewater treatment facilities that achieve 100 percent compliance with their National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) for the calendar year 2004. Clean Water Services’ wastewater treatment facilities clean nearly 22 billion gallons of wastewater a year to some of the highest treatment standards in the nation before releasing it to the Tualatin River. Each facility must meet nearly 1,000 strict permit conditions, including monthly, weekly and daily limits established to protect the Tualatin River. Studies show the investment in clean water is paying off—the Tualatin River is healthier today than it’s been in more than 30 years.
“We are very proud of the enormous effort that has resulted in receiving gold awards for all four of our treatment facilities,” said Mark Poling, Clean Water Services’ Wastewater Treatment Department Director. “To achieve this recognition along with the gains in operational efficiencies at our facilities show that we are able to provide unparalleled value that ratepayers seek from a public agency."
Since the award program began in 1986, Clean Water Services has received multiple awards, but this is the first time all four facilities received gold awards at the same time. Since 1995, the Forest Grove Facility has earned the Gold Award 8 years which included one Platinum Award (given to facilities that receive five consecutive gold awards); the Hillsboro Facility has earned the Gold Award 7 years and also includes one Platinum award; the Durham Facility has earned the Gold Award 6 years; and the Rock Creek Facility has earned the Gold Award 5 years
NACWA's Peak Performance Awards program recognizes NACWA-member agency facilities for excellence in wastewater treatment as measured by their compliance with their NPDES permits issued by EPA. While more than 3,000 facilities are members of NACWA and eligible for this award, only 241 were able to achieve this high level of permit compliance. There are more than 16,000 publicly owned wastewater treatment plants operating in the United States.
Clean Water Services is the sanitary sewer and surface water management utility for more than 480,000 customers in urban Washington County and small portions of Multnomah County, Clackamas County, Lake Oswego, and Portland. In addition to operating four wastewater treatment plants, Clean Water Services constructs and maintains flood management and water quality projects and manages flow in the Tualatin River to improve water quality and protect fish habitat. Although Clean Water Services maintains a close working relationship with Washington County government, it is a separately managed and financed public utility.