• Louisville Water Company only seventh utility in nation to reach pinnacle of performance
DENVER, CO, Nov. 18, 2010 -- Louisville Water Company's B. E. Payne Water Treatment Plant received the rarely achieved Phase IV "Excellence in Water Treatment" recognition from the Partnership for Safe Water.
This program is a national volunteer initiative developed by the USEPA and other water organizations representing water suppliers striving to provide their communities with drinking water quality that surpasses the required federal standards. Phase IV is the highest possible level of performance that can be achieved in the four-phased Partnership program, and signifies optimized plant performance. Only six other water utilities in the nation have reached this performance level.
The B.E. Payne Plant, located in Prospect, is Louisville Water's second treatment facility and includes the riverbank filtration project, a series of wells and an underground tunnel that pulls naturally filtered water from the aquifer next to the Ohio River.
"Reaching Phase IV status is a significant achievement in our commitment to provide a quality product and meet the stringent performance goals," said Greg Heitzman, President and CEO of Louisville Water Company. "This recognition is largely due to our employees' dedication to provide a safe supply of drinking water to our customers."
The Partnership currently includes more than 200 water utilities, collectively serving more than 85 million people. This represents over 60% of the U.S. population served by surface water. Each utility has committed to the enhancement of drinking water quality and operational excellence in water treatment. As members of the Partnership, utilities make a pledge to their communities to improve their treatment operations to reduce the risk of exposure to microbial contaminants, namely Cryptosporidium, a parasite that can cause illness. By making this commitment the member utilities' treatment practices undergo a rigorous review developed by national experts, and includes a four-phased self-assessment and peer review process.
The Partnership for Safe Water is sponsored by the American Water Works Association, Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, Association of State Drinking Water Administrators, United States Environmental Protection Agency, National Association of Water Companies, and the Water Research Foundation.
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