Tennessee American Water’s Whitwell plant has earned the Award of Excellence for Water Treatment Operation (Small Plant Category) from the American Water Works Association. The plant received the award from the KY/TN AWWA after a review process, which included onsite interviews and sharing operating data.
“The Tennessee American Water plant in Whitwell ‘commitment to excellence’ starts with the staff,” said Sequatchie Valley Superintendent of Operations Michael Griffith. “We have a great staff who works diligently to produce high quality clean water that exceeds minimum standards.”
Since acquiring the system in 2013, Tennessee American Water has invested over $3 million in the water system, including over $600,000 in capital improvements in 2017 alone. Upgrades include building a SCADA system, which allows remote monitoring and control of water tank levels and pumps; installing a new tank with solar panels to power SCADA equipment; and modernizing treatment equipment. Tennessee American Water is also building an operations center after purchasing existing property, which the company will remodel, on Highway 27. The operations center, which will serve as the central location for storage of parts and equipment, is slated to be completed in 2019.
This week Michael Griffith, along with Sequatchie Valley Supervisor of Operations David McBay, accepted the award at the annual water professionals conference held in Nashville, for the Kentucky-Tennessee Chapter of the AWWA.