Clean Water Advocacy - Newsroom - NACWA in the News
Denver Wastewater Reclamation District Recognized for 10 Perfect Years
WASHINGTON, DC, May 2, 2005 (PRNewswire) -- The Metro Wastewater Reclamation
District has won its second consecutive Platinum Award from the National
Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), formerly the Association of
Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies, for its second five-year period without a single
numerical violation of its discharge permit.
The award was presented here yesterday at NACWA's 35th Anniversary Annual
Meeting.
According to NACWA, earning two back-to-back Platinum Awards has been achieved
by only five other wastewater treatment agencies in the country. Two Platinum
Awards represent 10 perfect years, during which the Metro District discharged
almost 530 billion gallons of treated, high-quality water into the South Platte
River and completed more than 100,000 chemical and biological analyses that
verify there were no permit violations.
"Our 345 employees have every right to be proud of this accomplishment. It
places them among the elite protectors of the environment in the nation," said
District Manager Robert W. Hite.
"These accomplishments result from the efforts of many. The District has an
outstanding maintenance department, a well-engineered plant, great support
groups, and management that always strives to do the best for our ratepayers. We
also have a dedicated operations staff that continually impresses me with their
ability to get things done no matter what the challenge," said Steve Rogowski,
director of operations and maintenance.
The Metro Wastewater Reclamation District serves about 1.5 million people. Its
service area includes most of metropolitan Denver and encompasses 380 square
miles, including all of Denver and parts of Adams, Arapahoe and Jefferson
Counties. Arvada, Aurora, Lakewood, Thornton, and part of Westminster are
included.
The Metro District collects and treats about 130 million gallons of wastewater a
day at its 185 million-gallon-a-day Central Treatment Plant five miles northeast
of central Denver. This plant is the largest wastewater treatment facility in
the Rocky Mountain West.
Formed under Colorado law in 1961, the Metro District provides wholesale
wastewater transmission and treatment service to 57 local governments, including
both cities and sanitation districts in metropolitan Denver. The Metro District
began treating metro Denver's wastewater in 1966.
NACWA (www.nacwa.org) implemented the National Environmental Achievement Awards
program in 1983 to recognize the excellence that was occurring routinely at many
wastewater treatment agencies across the country.