Aqua Pennsylvania, Inc.’s Ingram’s Mill Water Treatment Plant in West Chester, Chester County, has been notified that it has met and will soon receive the “Phase III Directors Award of Recognition” from the Partnership for Safe Water.

The Partnership is a national volunteer initiative developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other water organizations representing water suppliers striving to provide their communities with drinking water quality that surpasses the required federal standards.

Aqua’s Ingram’s Mill Plant is among 116 surface water treatment plants in Pennsylvania to be presented the award for successfully completing the Self-Assessment and Peer Review phase of the Partnership program, a phase which consists of identifying factors that limit treatment plant performance and taking corrective actions to address any needs to assure the highest quality of water.

“All of our treatment plants in Pennsylvania are enrolled in the Partnership,” said Vice President, Production Marc Lucca. “Ingram’s Mill now joins our Roaring Creek Plant in achieving the prestigious Phase III award, a goal I would like to see achieved by all of our plants. I am proud of the managers and plant personnel who work hard every day in producing the highest quality water for our customers, and want to specifically acknowledge those individuals who worked so hard to obtain this award with honorable mention to those who led the group including Rich Kotwica, Dave Marozzi, Jeff Bickel and Curt Steffy. They should be very proud.”

Production Manager Curt Steffy said, “At Aqua, we have a long standing tradition of providing the highest quality water to our customers. Participating in this program and achieving the Partnership Phase III award reinforces the importance and attention to meeting our goal.”

The Partnership currently includes more than 220 water utilities representing 410 treatment facilities, which collectively serve more than 85 million people. This represents more than 60 percent of the U.S. population served by surface water supplies.

Each utility has committed to the enhancement of drinking water quality and operational excellence in water treatment. As members of the Partnership, utilities make a pledge to their communities to improve their treatment operations to reduce the risk of exposure to microbial contaminants, namely Cryptosporidium, a parasite that can cause illness.

By making this commitment, the member utilities’ treatment practices undergo a rigorous review developed by national experts, which includes a four-phased, self-assessment and peer-review process.

Aqua Pennsylvania serves approximately 1.4 million residents in 30 counties throughout Pennsylvania.

10/15/2012