PITTSBORO — Pittsboro’s water plant was recently selected to earn a 2022 Area Wide Optimization (AWOP) Award from the N.C. Division of Environmental Quality’s Public Water Supply Section.
This award was earned by only 66 water treatment plants across the state and was based on the results of water quality testing throughout 2021.
The AWOP Awards are given annually to water systems demonstrating outstanding turbidity removal, a key test of drinking water quality. Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness or haziness of water caused by individual particles that can interfere with disinfection and provide and provide a place for microbes to grow. Microbes are microscopic particles that occur naturally but can include harmful bacteria and viruses.
While all drinking water systems must meet strict state and federal drinking water standards, Pittsboro’s system met high-performance goals far exceeding state and federal standards.
“This is a high honor,” said Cory Saulsbury, the superintendent for the Pittsboro Water Plant. “
We have earned this award numerous times over the past few years, and we plan to keep it up for years to come.”
For more information about the 2022 AWOP awards, please visit https://deq.nc.gov/news/press-releases/2022/09/13/north-carolina-honors-66-drinking-water-treatment-plants-awop-awards.