NACWA Member Update (MU06-02)

Action Please By:
March 17, 2006

NACWA’s Peak Performance Awards Program recognizes member agency facilities for excellence in wastewater treatment as measured by their compliance with their National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit requirements. This program has honored growing numbers of NACWA member agency facilities since its inception in 1987 and continues this tradition in 2006 by recognizing excellence in treatment results for the 2005 calendar year.

Three Peak Performance Award Categories Recognize Facility Achievement
NACWA’s Peak Performance Awards Program consists of three categories – Platinum, Gold and Silver. The criteria for each category are as follows:

• Platinum Awards recognize 100% compliance with NPDES permits over a consecutive five year period. Platinum Awards will be given to facilities with a consistent record of full NPDES compliance for the calendar years of 2001 through 2005. Attached is a list of facilities that, based on NACWA’s records, are eligible for a Platinum Award this year if they attain full compliance for the entire 2005 calendar year. If your agency has a facility that you believe is eligible for a 2005 Platinum Award, but is not included on the enclosed list, please fax a copy of your Gold Award certificates from the past four years (2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004) to Shawnita Dickens at NACWA’s National Office, fax: 202/833-4657. [Please Note: Platinum Awards are not rolling, upon receipt of a Platinum Award, member agency facilities must receive four consecutive Gold Awards to again be eligible for another Platinum Award.]

• Gold Awards are presented to facilities with zero NPDES permit violations.

• Silver Awards are presented to facilities with no more than five NPDES violations.

All eligible member agency facilities must provide at least secondary treatment, or advanced primary treatment with a 301h waiver. Additionally, there are no facility capacity minimums for Peak Performance Award eligibility.

How to Apply for 2005 Peak Performance Recognition …
The attached Peak Performance Award Application Packet provides you with complete details and information to apply for recognition. NACWA has made applying for Peak Performance recognition easier – now facilities may complete and submit their applications in the following ways:

1. Online Applications Available on CleanWater Central! – Visit http://www.cleanwatercentral.org to complete and submit an online application form. NACWA is pleased to offer an online application for your convenience in submitting your application. (Please see page 4 of the application packet for detailed instructions.)

2. Download Application Materials and Fax or E-mail – Visit NACWA’s web site, http://www.nacwa.org, and download the application form. Complete and submit the application form to Mark Hoeke via fax 202.318.1472 or e-mail: mhoeke@dfinet.ch.

3. Via Regular Mail – If your utility is submitting a significant number of pages and/or several applications, please submit the application(s) regular mail to Shawnita Dickens, at NACWA’s National Office, 1816 Jefferson Place, NW, Washington, D.C. 20036.

Applicants must provide a copy of the applicable federal or state-issued NPDES permit requirements. Please review the “What to Submit” section, which can be found on page 3 of the application packet carefully to determine what your facility must include with the facility’s application packet.

If the Survey form is not adequate to show all permit requirements and discharge results, it may be modified or a separate table may be submitted by e-mail. Please use an Excel spreadsheet where possible and include monthly flow data even if flow is not a permit limit. The flow data is needed to prepare statistical information for NACWA awards events in May. For example, if the permit has daily, or other, limits the table should list these and indicate the number of violations. Please provide the requested plant performance and permit limits information even if you choose to also provide a summary of number of violations for each facility.

In addition to your agency’s Peak Performance Award Application, NACWA request that you complete and submit the CleanWater Central Wastewater Treatment Facility Description Form, which is included in the application packet. This information will be used to add or update your facility information in CleanWater Central database, http://www.cleanwatercentral.org.

2005 Peak Performance Award Recognition
The 2005 Peak Performance Award honorees are recognized at the Awards Luncheon during NACWA’s May Meeting in Washington, DC. Recipients of Platinum Awards are invited to accept their award in person and Gold and Silver Award winners will receive their certificates by mail. All award winning facilities will be showcased in the June edition of NACWA’s monthly newsletter, the Clean Water News.

Questions?
Please contact Mark Hoeke via e-mail: mhoeke@dfinet.ch, or phone: 202.361.7446, with any questions you may have regarding completion of the Peak Performance application form. General questions about the Peak Performance Award Program and awards presentation should be directed to Shawnita Dickens, at NACWA’s National Office, phone: 202.833.1449 or e-mail: sdickens@nacwa.org.

Remember – application for the 2005 Peak Performance Awards Program are due by March 17, 2006

ATTACHMENT:

• 2005 Peak Performance Application Form (PDF)
• 2005 Peak Performance Award Application (XLS)