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Chester Water Authority is proud to be a member of the Partnership
for Safe Water. Formed in 1995, the Partnership is a voluntary
cooperative effort among the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP),
the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and other drinking water
organizations, and water suppliers across the nation, with the goal
of enhancing the quality of drinking-water safety by optimizing
treatment plant performance. A water supplier that is a member of
the Partnership commits to a standard of performance that is higher
than that required by federal rules and regulations. For example,
the Partnership has adopted a more stringent goal for turbidity than
that required by the enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule of the
Safe Drinking Water Act. Turbidity is the amount of suspended
particles in water. The Partnership’s goal for turbidity is 0.1 NTU
(a turbidity measurement), while the Safe Drinking Water regulation
is 0.3 NTU.
In September
2003, the Authority submitted a Self- Assessment Completion Report
for the Octoraro Treatment Plant. The report requires a water
supplier to examine its treatment processes with the goal of making
them better. CWA’s report was favorably reviewed by the
Partnership’s Program Effectiveness Assessment Committee, which
includes members from water utilities and state and federal
environmental agencies. Based on this favorable review, the
Authority has been given the Director’s Award for completing Phase 3
of the Partnership Program. There are currently 115 surface water
treatment plants involved in the Partnership for Safe Water program
in Pennsylvania. Of these 115 plants, 39 have been awarded the
Phase 3 Director’s Award.
By participating
in this voluntary program, Chester Water Authority once again
demonstrates its commitment to delivering quality water to all its
customers.
If you would
like to know more about the Partnership and CWA’s role as a member
of this program, log on to
www.awwa.org.
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