2004 AMSA Platinum Award

Salt Lake City Water Reclamation Plant continues outstanding record of performance.

Jon Adams and AMSA officials at Platinum Award ceremony.
On May 24, 2004 reclamation manager Jon Adams, representing the employees of Salt Lake City’s Water Reclamation Plant, accepted the prestigious AMSA Platinum Award. The Platinum Award was presented at AMSA's 2004 National Environmental Policy Forum & 34th Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. The award honors member agencies that have achieved 100 percent compliance with their  NPDES permit for five consecutive years. Salt Lake City was one of only a few that had completed two consecutive five year periods of perfect compliance.

At the end of 2003, completing 139 consecutive months of operations without an NPDES permit violation, Salt Lake City’s treatment facility is among the nation’s top performance wastewater treatment plants. “It’s an outstanding accomplishment,” said Mr. Adams. “I’m proud of the employees and their efforts that earned this award.” During this period of time, despite increased plant loading, the treatment facility has continued to exceed effluent quality standards without a permit violation. The last violation occurred May, 1992.

“Can you imagine operating a biological system over this length of time and not have an upset that could lead to permit violations?” notes public utilities director LeRoy W. Hooton, Jr. “Everyone can relate to their own body’s biological system and having an occasional upset stomach. It takes a concerted effort by everyone to make sure the treatment plant doesn’t have a biological upset resulting in a permit violation.” Team work is credited for this concerted effort, from the maintenance of the sewer collection system, pretreatment programs that protect against toxic discharges into the sanitary sewer system, laboratory support and finally the extraordinary effort by plant personnel that produces effluent meeting permit limitations.    

Awards were plentiful this year. Besides the Platinum Award, earlier in the year at AMSA’s 2004 Winter Conference held in Los Angeles, CA., the Water Reclamation Plant was honored with the 2003 Excellence in Management Award.  Later in the fall, the water treatment facility was named the “2004 Outstanding Wastewater Facility over 5 MGD” by the Water Environment Association of Utah.

Besides outstanding employees, the City’s elected officials have provided the necessary investments in plant and equipment needed to meet high performance standards. In the early 1980s the City completed a Wastewater Facilities Plan to upgrade the sewer collection system, make major improvements to the Reclamation Plant and plan for future growth. Over the years there have been several upgrades to refurbish and improve treatment processes.  Currently, a $26.5 million construction project is underway to upgrade treatment processes to meet increasing organic loadings.

Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities: slcclassic.com./utilities