Demonstrating the utility’s continued commitment to water quality, the Birmingham Water Works Putnam Filter Plant has earned the 15-Year Directors Award for Water Treatment Plant Optimization from the Partnership for Safe Water, a program developed by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, American Water Works Association (AWWA) and associated organizations to guide water utilities towards improving water quality by optimizing system operations. The Birmingham Water Works was presented this award for successfully maintaining the program’s Directors Award level of performance for a 15-year period.

Constructed in 1939, the Putnam Filter Plant is one of four filter plants serving the Birmingham Water Works service area. Each plant has received awards in various categories from the Partnership for Safe Water. The most recent recipient prior to Putnam is the Western Filter Plant, which took home the Excellence in Water Treatment Phase IV Award in 2019.

“At the Birmingham Water Works, we are proud of the essential services we provide. This award underscores our commitment to providing the highest quality water and service to our customers, particularly the hard work and dedication of our team at the Putnam Filter Plant,” said Michael Johnson, general manager of Birmingham Water Works.

The plant was one of a select group of utilities honored by the Partnership for Safe Water. The Directors Award was originally achieved by completing the self-assessment and peer review phase of the Partnership program, a phase which includes comprehensive evaluation of treatment plant operations and performance, identification of performance limiting factors, and the development of action plans to achieve optimization. Other recipients of the 15-Year Directors Award included the Orange Water and Sewer Authority in North Carolina and the Schuylkill County Municipal Authority in Pennsylvania.

Established in 1995, the Partnership for Safe Water is a voluntary self-assessment and optimization program for water treatment plant and distribution system operation. More than 300 utility subscribers, collectively serving more than 100 million people, are committed to the Partnership’s goals of providing safe, high-quality drinking water through achieving operational excellence in water treatment. Partnership members participate in a rigorous four-phase self-assessment and peer review process, developed by water utility optimization experts, and are recognized for their commitment to delivering safe water to their communities.

About BWWB

Founded in 1951, the Birmingham Water Works Board (BWWB) serves 600,000 people in Jefferson, Shelby, Blount, St. Clair, and Walker counties. The BWWB operates four filtration plants, a certified testing laboratory, and has more than 4,000 miles of pipe in its distribution network; it ranked among the top five water systems in the United States. For more information about the Birmingham Water Works Board, media inquiries, or tours of our museum, please call 205-244-4000 or visit www.bwwb.org.

About the Partnership for Safe Water

The Partnership for Safe Water is an alliance of the American Water Works Association, Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, Association of State Drinking Water Administrators, United States Environmental Protection Agency, National Association of Water Companies, and the Water Research Foundation.