The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC Water) announced that its water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) received recognition for outstanding performance by leading water industry organizations.
The Water Environment Federation (WEF) and the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) awarded five of WSSC Water’s WRRFs for project excellence and peak performance.
WEF’s Project Excellence Award
The Water Environment Federation (WEF) awarded WSSC Water’s Seneca WRRF the Project Excellence Award. WEF’s annual Project Excellence Award pays tribute to excellence and innovation in executing projects and programs in the water sector.
WSSC Water’s Seneca WRRF received the award for successfully implementing a new science-based optimization approach using ammonia-based aeration and reduced pumping to effectively remove nitrogen and phosphorus while reducing energy and chemical costs. The successful implementation of this process throughout the entire facility will help WSSC Water decrease its carbon footprint and save approximately $575,000 a year. As WSSC Water looks to expand this process to other facilities, the wastewater industry across the country is considering this innovative treatment approach.
WSSC Water worked with Brown and Caldwell and Northwestern University to implement the innovative treatment approach.
NACWA’s Peak Performance Awards
Additionally, the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) recently presented WSSC Water with its Peak Performance Awards. NACWA’s Peak Performance Awards are earned by facilities that have demonstrated extraordinary success in complying with their federal permit limits and Clean Water Act standards.
WSSC Water received awards in the following categories: Platinum for facilities that have consistently achieved perfect compliance for five or more years, and Gold for facilities that achieve 100 percent compliance in a calendar year.
The five WSSC Water facilities that received Peak Performance are:
- Damascus WRRF – Platinum, 22nd consecutive year
- Parkway WRRF – Platinum, 16th consecutive year
- Seneca WRRF – Platinum, 16th consecutive year
- Hyattstown WRRF – Platinum, 11th consecutive year
- Western Branch WRRF – Gold, 1st year
“As the nation celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act, these awards highlight WSSC Water’s commitment to protecting the health of our rivers, streams and the Chesapeake Bay,” says Carla A. Reid, WSSC Water’s general manager and CEO. “I am extremely proud of the job our plant operators, and staff who work 24/7/365 to ensure we return clean water to our environment.”
