Archived Outdoors

WNC water treatment plants honored

Two Haywood County water treatment plants were among the 13 North Carolina facilities recognized with the Gold Star honor for systems that have surpassed federal and state drinking water standards for 10 consecutive years. 

Waynesville’s Allens Creek facility and the Maggie Valley Sanitary District both received this prestigious award. 

Meanwhile, six water treatment plants in the seven western counties were among the 64 water treatment plants receiving the N.C. Division of Water Resources’ N.C. Area Wide Optimization Award for surpassing federal and state drinking water standards in 2020. Those plants are located in Fontana Dam, Franklin, Maggie Valley, Robbinsville, Waynesville and Western Carolina University.  

While all drinking water systems must meet strict state and federal standards, these systems met performance goals that are significantly more stringent than those standards. Awards are given each year to water systems that demonstrate outstanding turbidity removal, a key test of drinking water quality. 

In 2020, nearly 2.5 million North Carolina residents were served by these award-winning plants.

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