Talladega Water and Sewer Board and City of Lincoln announce partnership to provide water supply to new Honda facility

LINCOLN, Ala., March 23, 2001 — The Talladega Water and Sewer Board and the City of Lincoln announce their partnership to supply a minimum of 150 million gallons of water per year to the new Honda manufacturing facility.

"This is a good example of regional cooperation. The Talladega Water and Sewer Board and the City of Lincoln are working together to improve the water delivery infrastructure to meet the water needs of the new Honda facility and the community," said James Corby, Chairman of the Talladega Water and Sewer Board. "We are confident that we have a more than ample water supply to meet not only the complete needs of the new Honda facility in Talladega County, but also to meet any anticipated growth in demand in this area for the foreseeable future."

"This is a win, win, win situation for the communities of Lincoln, Talladega and for the new Honda facility," said City of Lincoln Mayor Lew Watson. "I couldn't be more pleased to see how everyone has worked together on this project. This joint venture will benefit future generations and have a significant impact on the economic growth of the area. This is the largest water project in the history of Lincoln," said Watson.

"The City of Lincoln and the Talladega Water and Sewer Board worked hard to create a clean, reliable water source for Honda," said Andy Ritter, Senior Manager, Honda Manufacturing of Alabama. "We are very pleased to see the benefits that this kind of partnering can have in the community."

The Talladega surface water system uses water from Talladega Creek, which is really a series of creeks in the area. A surface water filtration system is designed to remove contaminates and other impurities found in the water source. The filtered water then goes through a purification process. The Talladega system complies with the strictest guidelines as mandated by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management. To supply the Honda facility, Talladega will route water to the City of Lincoln, which in turn will route it to the manufacturing plant. (See attached graphic).

Honda broke ground on the new facility in April of 2000 and plans to begin mass production in late 2001. The $440 million plant is approximately 75% completed. HMA will employ approximately 1500 associates when it reaches its twin annual capacities of 120,000 vehicles and 120,000 engines.

SOURCE Honda Manufacturing of Alabama