Three coastal-based water treatment plants are among those recently honored by the state for surpassing federal and state drinking water standards in 2024.
The North Carolina Division of Water Resources’ Public Water Supply Section awarded the N.C. Area Wide Optimization Program Award to 63 water treatment plants, including Brunswick County Northwest Water Treatment Plant, Cape Fear Public Utility Authority’s Sweeney Water Treatment Plant in Wilmington, and Pender County Utilities Surface Water Treatment Plant.
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The awards, part of a state effort to enhance the performance of existing surface water treatment facilities, are given each year to water systems that demonstrate outstanding turbidity removal, which is a key test of drinking water quality, according to a N.C. Department of Environmental Quality news release distributed Thursday.
“While all drinking water systems must meet strict state and federal drinking water standards, these systems met performance goals that are significantly higher,” according to the release. “In 2024, more than 2.8 million North Carolina residents were served by these award-winning plants.”
Cape Fear Public Utility Authority was also recognized with the “Gold Star” honor, which is awarded to systems that have received the Area Wide Optimization Program Award for 10 more consecutive years. In all, 20 facilities received that recognition for 2024.
