Clean Water Advocacy - Newsroom - AMSA in the News
Fall River, Mass., wastewater plant gets special recognition
FALL RIVER, Mass. , July 28, 2003 -- For the third consecutive
year, the Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies (AMSA) has awarded one
of its highest honors to the Fall River, Mass. wastewater treatment plant
managed by USFilter Operating Services, Inc. , (USFilter), as part of a
public-private partnership.
AMSA's "Peak Performance Gold Award" was presented to USFilter's staff for
maintaining perfect environmental compliance in 2002 at the facility.
AMSA, whose member base collectively treats and reclaims more than 18 billion
gallons of wastewater daily, works closely with federal regulatory agencies to
implement environmental programs and legislation.
"USFilter strives to achieve perfect environmental compliance every day,
everywhere we operate facilities," said Marc Laferriere, USFilter Fall River
project manager. "Maintaining a healthy environment is not just our job, it's
our passion. Receiving this award from the highly-regarded AMSA is public
validation that we are doing our job well and that private expertise can help
municipalities solve problems and keep the environment healthy and safe. "
Through a partnership that began in 1994, USFilter provides operation and
management services to the city's 30. 9-million-gallon-per-day pure oxygen
secondary wastewater treatment plant. Additional responsibilities include a
15-dry-ton-per-day sludge incinerator (ash is hauled to a landfill for
disposal), 13 lift stations and a regional collection system.
When the city of Fall River partnered with USFilter for the operations of its
wastewater plant, the facility was plagued with continuous permit violations,
with neither regulatory experts nor nationally recognized biologists able to
identify the cause of chronic process control and odor problems. Within the
first year of operation, USFilter's team of experts suggested many process
improvements and the adoption of new operational procedures which resulted in
reduced odor complaints and environmental compliance at the plant.
"We are very pleased with USFilter's progress in repeatedly achieving perfect
compliance at our wastewater treatment plant," said Fall River Mayor Edward M.
Lambert, Jr. "Today, Fall River residents enjoy a cleaner, healthier and
odor-free environment. "
Fall River's award reinforces USFilter's statewide excellent compliance record
in Massachusetts where the company currently operates 20 municipal and
industrial facilities.
United States Filter Corporation, a Veolia Environnement company, is North
America's leading water company providing comprehensive water and wastewater
systems and services to commercial, industrial, municipal and residential
customers. Veolia Environnement (Paris Bourse: VIE and NYSE:VE) is the largest
environmental services company in the world with more than 295,000 employees,
including FCC, in about 100 countries and annual revenues of more than $31. 5
billion. Visit the company's web sites at www. usfilter. com or
www.veoliaenvironnement.com.