City Wastewater Treatment Plants Recognized Nationally for Continued Operational Excellence

10/28/2020

Today, four City of Tulsa Wastewater Treatment plants received honors at the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) Peak Performance Awards. This annual award is presented to honorees who have achieved excellence in operational performance and permit compliance.

The Peak Performance Award ceremony shines a national spotlight on those outstanding clean water utilities that have demonstrated operational excellence with no more than five permit violations in a calendar year, and, for the Gold and Platinum winners, zero violations.

The City of Tulsa Lower Bird Creek Wastewater Treatment plant received the highest honor, the Platinum award. In addition, the City of Tulsa’s Southside plant received a Gold award, while the City’s Northside and Haikey Creek plants both won Silver awards.

“This is a great indication of the dedication our operation and maintenance staff have to meeting water quality standards,” said Clayton Edwards, Director of the Water & Sewer Department.

Wastewater collected through Tulsa’s 1,960 miles of sanitary sewer is treated to make it safe and clean to return to a receiving body of water, like the Arkansas River, or to apply as a biosolid on agricultural land as a soil supplement. This system of underground trunk and collection system sewer lines and 62 lift stations moves the water to the City’s four major treatment plants – the Northside, Southside, Haikey Creek and Lower Bird Creek plants. Currently, Tulsa can treat 103 million gallons per day of wastewater, but on average, treats 57 million gallons.

For nearly 50 years, the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) has been the nation’s recognized leader in advancing sustainable and responsible policy initiatives that help shape a strong and sustainable clean water future. NACWA seeks to fulfill this mission through its national recognition/awards program, its clean water advocacy and communications, and its peer-to-peer utility network to share best practices from coast-to-coast. For more information, visit the NACWA’s website, www.nacwa.org.