ABINGDON, VA, MAY 15, 2017 -- For the seventh consecutive year, the Washington County Service Authority (WCSA) has been awarded the highest possible ranking in operations and performance excellence for water utilities by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH).
WCSA received a 2016 Excellence in Waterworks/Operations Performance Award following a 12-month analysis of data by the VDH Office of Drinking Water.
Each year, through Virginia's Optimization Program, the VDH recognizes drinking water plants that perform above and beyond minimum standards by optimizing and running their treatment process efficiently and effectively. The primary purpose of the program is to reduce risks to public health associated with drinking water.
WCSA's Middle Fork Drinking Water Plant was one of 21 water treatment plants in Virginia to earn a perfect score in the judging criteria. Of the 129 conventional surface water treatment plants evaluated, WCSA was among 34 that received a gold award, while 53 received either silver or bronze awards.
"WCSA has the largest permitted capacity and serves the largest number of service connections in the Mount Rogers Planning District, and has consistently been a top performer in the Virginia Optimization Program," says Eric R. Herold, PE, VDH district engineer for the Mount Rogers Planning District. "Of the 11 conventional surface water plants in our district, WCSA's Middle Fork Drinking Water Plant was one of five plants to receive a perfect performance score for 2016 operations, and one of six plants to receive a gold award."
The mission of Virginia's Optimization Program is "to encourage waterworks to provide water with a quality that exceeds minimum regulatory standards (i.e., as perfect as possible) and to operate water systems in an exemplary manner (i.e., as effective and functional as possible)."
"It is an honor to receive this top-level performance score seven years in a row," says Robbie Cornett, general manager of WCSA. "Our goal is to always provide our customers with the highest-quality drinking water at the lowest possible cost, and this recognition affirms our commitment to that goal."
Over a period of time, through research and plant performance studies conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the American Waterworks Association and the waterworks industry, the VDH has developed performance goals for clarification and filtration processes in surface water treatment plants. For Virginia's Optimization Program, drinking water programs throughout the commonwealth submit monthly operation reports containing operational data.
About WCSA
The WCSA serves approximately 21,000 water connections and approximately 2,300 wastewater connections in Washington County, Virginia, and surrounding areas. The water system consists of approximately 900 miles of water line, a 12-million-gallon-per-day surface water treatment plant, a 2.5-million-gallon-per-day membrane filtration plant, two springs, one well, 26 pump stations and 20 water storage tanks. The wastewater system consists of approximately 70 miles of wastewater collection lines, 26 lift stations and two wastewater treatment plants. For more information about WCSA, visit www.wcsawater.com.
