New Jersey American Water’s Canal Road Water Treatment Plant in Raritan received a 15-Year Directors Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Partnership for Safe Water. The award celebrates utilities for their outstanding commitment to delivering superior quality drinking water to customers. Representatives from New Jersey American Water accepted the award at the 2017 American Water Works Annual Conference held in Philadelphia.

“We are extremely proud of our water quality record and we’re grateful for this honor. When customers open their taps, we want them to have confidence in the quality of their water,” said Bill Wachter, production manager for the Canal Road and Raritan-Millstone Water Treatment Plants. “This award recognizes the hard work and expertise of our employees who demonstrate their commitment to our customers each day.”

The company’s Canal Road plant treats water drawn from the Raritan River and delivers as much as 80 million gallons of high-quality, reliable water daily to customers in Somerset, Middlesex, Mercer, Union, Hunterdon, and Morris Counties. Together, with New Jersey American Water’s nearby Raritan-Millstone Water Treatment Plant in Bridgewater, the two sites provide about 1.5 million customers with safe reliable water every day. The Raritan-Millstone Water Treatment Plant received this prestigious award in 2015.

“We are proud to be among the 18 nationally-recognized Partnership for Safe Water awardees within the American Water family of facilities. The 15-year Directors Award means a lot to all of us at the Canal Road Water Treatment Plant as we strive to bring high quality water to our customers,” said Oleg Kostin, operations and production manager for the Canal Road and Raritan-Millstone Water Treatment Plants. “It is an honor and a testament to the great effort our employees put into their jobs, each and every day.”

New Jersey American Water’s treatment facilities are among 400 surface water treatment plants across the nation that are part of the EPA Partnership for Safe Water Program, a voluntary effort that is designed to increase protection against microbial contamination through treatment optimization.

“The Partnership for Safe Water congratulates New Jersey American Water’s Canal Road Water Treatment Plant for receiving the 15-Year Directors Award. This award illustrates the utility’s enduring commitment to optimization and public health protection,” said Barbara Martin, director of engineering and technical services at American Water Works Association (AWWA).