CU Wastewater Treatment Plant Receives Operational Excellence Award

The Clean Water Professionals of Kentucky & Tennessee bestowed the Operational Excellence Award to Cleveland Utilities for continued outstanding operation of the Hiwassee Wastewater Treatment Plant during the period of January 1, 2018, through December 31, 2018. The Wastewater Treatment Plant has received this award numerous times, but this is for two consecutive years, which is outstanding.

The achievement of this award is very significant and extremely difficult to obtain. It is a direct reflection of the operations and maintenance staff at the Wastewater Treatment Plant. The facility is operated 24/7/365. CU is issued a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit by the State of Tennessee and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This permit requires wastewater to meet very stringent water quality criteria before being discharged into the Hiwassee River. The NPDES permit contains 3,853 individual discharge requirements that must be in compliance during the year. To qualify for this award, the utility is allowed only one exceedance; however, they completed the year with zero.  This award is conferred to recognize the dedication, resolve, and outstanding effort of the employees of the WWTP.



Left to Right:  Tim Henderson, Craig Mullinax, Mike Ward, Darrell Hubbard, Mark Wells, Karen Hall, Aubrey Ector