For the sixth year in a row, our Water Treatment Plant has received the prestigious North Carolina Area Wide Optimization Award. The NC Division of Water Resources has included Greenville Utilities among the 64 out of 149 water treatment plants in the state honored for surpassing federal and state drinking water standards in 2020. The award recognition is a state effort to enhance the performance of existing surface water treatment facilities. 

In 1998, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed new regulations to reduce the risk of biological contamination. The EPA then partnered with states to form the Area Wide Optimization Program (AWOP). This program introduced more stringent water quality goals and helps water systems meet those goals. North Carolina has participated in AWOP since 2000 and is one of 29 states involved in the program. 

AWOP Award Background and Challenges 
The focus of the AWOP award is turbidity removal, a key test of drinking water quality. Turbidity is a measure of cloudiness of water caused by individual particles that can interfere with disinfection and provide a medium for microbial growth. Eliminating particles lessens the amount of chemicals needed to process water, which reduces byproducts in the water. The Tar River has high turbidity because its water comes from tributaries that run through swamps. 

It is difficult for water treatment plants in the eastern part of the state to achieve the AWOP turbidity goals. Most of the winning plants are from the western part of the state, while GUC and Martin County are the only honorees out of the Washington region. With 28 counties making up the coastal plain area, GUC was one of only seven water systems in this area to be recognized. 

“Every year, our Water Treatment Plant staff outdo the previous year’s numbers for these AWOP goals, and this year I’m prouder than ever being able to achieve these stringent water quality goals during the Covid-19 pandemic and Hurricane Isaias,” said Water Treatment Plant Superintendent Julius Patrick.  

Congratulations to our Water Treatment Plant staff for working hard to obtain this award!