The Henry County Water Authority (HCWA) celebrated the New Year in fine fashion, with industry awards for operating the highest graded water and wastewater systems in Georgia. Those were the highlights of the awards the Authority brought home from the yearend Fall Conference of the Georgia Association of Water Professionals (GAWP).
During this most recent GAWP Conference, the state’s water professionals recognized the HCWA with the Collection System of Excellence Platinum Award and the Water Distribution System Gold Award. In addition, the Authority’s Mandy Gatewood received the GAWP Customer Service Award.
This marks the third consecutive year the HCWA has received the GAWP Collection System of Excellence Platinum Award, which recognizes those utilities in Georgia that strive to continually improve their systems through proper management, maintenance, and operations.
The criteria for the award follow the practices set forth in the utility’s Capacity, Management, Operation, and Maintenance (CMOM) Program to reduce and prevent sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs). That criteria includes preventative maintenance, system evaluation, rehabilitation programs, and training, among many other checklist items. To obtain the Platinum Award, a utility must receive the highest possible range of scores – 95% or higher – on its annual system review by industry judges, and for at least five consecutive years. This is the seventh consecutive year the HCWA Collection System has received the highest possible grades for operational excellence.
In addition to reaching Platinum status through the evaluation of its sewer system, the HCWA also received the Water Distribution System Gold Award for “operating in an outstanding manner.” This is the fourth straight year the HCWA has received the Gold Award for its Water Distribution System.
The HCWA Water Distribution System is categorized as a “Large” System in Georgia, with more than 50,000 customer accounts, according to the classification used by the state industry association. Once again, the HCWA Distribution System scored higher than 95% on its most recent annual system review this past year.
The Authority’s Mandy Gatewood received the GAWP’s annual Customer Service Award as a result of distinguished service herself. More specifically, the Customer Service Award recognizes a water professional who demonstrates excellence in service, as well as one who utilizes innovation to develop an efficient operational process that results in a positive and memorable experience for HCWA customers. “These most recent system awards of excellence and Mandy’s Customer Service Award represent our investment in the very best people and processes in our industry,” says Lindy Farmer, HCWA General Manager. “I am so proud of our employees who go to great lengths to make sure our customers are provided with the very best water and sewer services possible. These water professionals work well together as a team, and every day they continue to impress me with their professionalism and dedication to our utility, our customers, and our community.”
