Hickory Water Treatment Facility earns award for water quality
The North Carolina Division of Water Resources honored 79 water treatment facilities for surpassing federal and state drinking water standards in 2023. The City of Hickory’s Water Treatment Facility was among those to receive the prestigious N.C. Area Wide Optimization Program (AWOP) Award for 2023.
Awards are given each year to water systems that demonstrate outstanding turbidity removal, a key test of drinking water quality. Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness or haziness of water caused by individual particles that can interfere with disinfection and provide a medium for microbial growth. Microbes are microscopic particles that occur naturally, but can include harmful bacteria and viruses.
While all drinking water systems must meet strict state and federal drinking water standards, the City of Hickory system met performance goals that are significantly more stringent than state and federal standards.
“This award is a testament to our dedicated and highly trained personnel at the facility and the efforts we take to ensure the best possible water quality to our customers,” said Public Utilities Director Will Hamblin about the award.
The City of Hickory’s Water Treatment Facility is a regional water supply facility, providing potable drinking water to three counties and managing three purchased water systems extending from northern Alexander County to the Town of Catawba and Sherrills Ford. The facility also supplies water to the municipalities of Brookford, Catawba, Claremont, Conover, Icard, Long View, Maiden, and Taylorsville. Additionally, Hickory’s water system has interconnections with Newton and Mooresville. Drawing water from the Catawba River, the facility is a conventional surface water treatment facility with a rated capacity of 32 million gallons of water per day.
For more information about the City of Hickory’s Water Treatment Facility and public utilities services, including annual water and wastewater quality reports, please visit www.hickorync.gov/public-utilities or contact the Public Services Department at 828-323-7500.