Treatment
Treatment Plant Optimization Program
More than 250 utilities and 400 treatment plants consistently provide the highest quality drinking water possible to 85 million people and counting. Become a Partnership for Safe Water subscriber and helps ensure the production and delivery of safe, high quality water.
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The Treatment System Optimization Program is Based on Four Distinct Phases
Phase I: Commitment
An honest commitment is required so that utilities are fully engaged in the optimization process.
Apply for membership by completing the online application form for the utility and the plants you wish to have participate. Participation is open to all surface water filtration plants, regardless of size and process configuration. Annual fees are based on population and carry a low annual rate to encourage participation by utilities of all sizes.
Phase II: Baseline & Annual Data Collection
Baseline and annual data is submitted for inclusion in the Partnership for Safe Water’s annual report and to measure improvement.
Baseline Report. Systems new to the Partnership submit an initial Baseline Report of water quality. An example Baseline Report, typically submitted in letter format, is provided below.
Annual Reports. All systems with continued participation in the Partnership for Safe Water submit data reports on an annual basis for inclusion in the Partnership’s annual report of aggregate water quality data.
Regulatory Compliance Policy. Utilities enrolled in the Partnership for Safe Water must be in full compliance with applicable health-based regulations for at least the preceding six months. A signature is required on the treatment application to indicate that the plant(s) you are enrolling satisfy this requirement and that you agree to notify the Partnership within one month of receiving a notice of violation.
Phase III: Self-Assessment
The Phase III Self-Assessment Completion Report is required to receive the Directors Award. Learn how utilities prioritize and focus their report; and access the checklist to better understand report elements.
Annual Reports. Phase III Directors Award recipients are committed to continuous improvement of plant performance. Participants submit annual reports of turbidity data and a narrative describing the ways that the plant is working towards optimization. Long-term compliance makes plants eligible for five, 10, and 15-year Directors Award recognition.
Phase IV: Fully Optimized System
Phase IV recognizes the highest level of optimization with exclusive Excellence in Water Treatment Award, and the Presidents Award, recognizing progress towards full optimization.
Utilities achieving Phase IV status represent some of the most optimized distribution systems in North America that produce extremely high quality drinking water and are committed to maintaining the highest levels of optimization.
Treatment Program Awards
Directors Award
Awarded based on a peer-reviewed self-assessment of plant operations and water quality data, the Directors Award establishes utilities as high-performing providers of safe drinking water.
Excellence Award
The highest level of Partnership awards, the Phase IV Excellence Award celebrates achieving the most rigorous of requirements and realizing full system optimization.
Presidents Award
More stringent performance requirements recognize treatment plants that achieve the Partnership’s rigorous individual filter effluent turbidity standards and are working to full optimization.
Longevity Awards
Partnership subscribers’ enduring commitment to optimization is celebrated at 5-year intervals, with awards recognizing 5, 10, and 15 years of optimization and beyond.
