The Pike Township Water Treatment Plant, located in Clearfield County, recently completed the third phase of the Partnership for Safe Water Program, a voluntary effort to provide safe drinking water.

Presently, the water plant is part of a water system that provides drinking water service to approximately 4,500 people.

The Pike Township Water Treatment Plant is now one of the 56 water plants to complete this phase of the Partnership in Pennsylvania.

The partnership is made up of DEP, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Pennsylvania Section American Water Works Association and other drinking water organizations.  Its goal is to implement preventative measures that are based on optimizing treatment plant performance.

Phase III entails a detailed, peer-reviewed report that summarizes the rigorous self-assessment portion of the program. This phase is specifically geared toward identifying weaknesses in plant operation, design and administration that could lead to a breakthrough of waterborne disease-causing organisms into the finished water that is distributed to consumers.

Correcting these weaknesses helps prevent waterborne disease outbreaks caused by pathogenic organisms like Cryptosporidium and Giardia.

By completing this phase of the program, the Pike Township Water Treatment Plant is working to provide an additional measure of protection to drinking water consumers. Currently, 119 surface water treatment plants serving over 6.1 million people are now involved in Pennsylvania’s Partnership program.

For more information, visit DEP’s Partnership for Safe Water webpage or contact Kevin Anderson at 717-783-9764 or send email to: keanderson@pa.gov.

8/12/2013