Treatment plants receive awards

OLYMPIA – The state Department of Ecology honored three area wastewater treatment plants with Outstanding Performance Awards last week.

The recipients include Cheney Wastewater Treatment Plant, Fairchild Mobile Home Community Wastewater Treatment Plant and Liberty School District #362 Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Statewide, more than 300 wastewater treatment plants are maintaining the health of rivers, lakes, wetlands and Puget Sound, Ecology officials said. These facilities manage the waste generated by homes and businesses, ensuring it is treated before release into the environment.

Although each wastewater treatment plant operates differently, all depend on certified operators to ensure their systems run smoothly and are maintained properly.

Each year, Ecology selects certain facilities for the Outstanding Performance Award to recognize their exceptional adherence to water quality standards.

“Wastewater treatment plants are essential to our communities, even though they often operate behind the scenes,” said Vince McGowan, Ecology’s Water Quality Program Manager. “The dedication of wastewater treatment operators may go unnoticed, but their efforts are vital in safeguarding water quality and deserve public recognition.”

The award winners were chosen based on their compliance with permit conditions, including meeting numeric effluent limits and fulfilling monitoring and reporting requirements.

In total, 118 facilities were recognized by the Ecology Department for their exemplary performance in 2023.