City of Atlanta Joins Partnership for Safe Water

ATLANTA – The City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management (DWM) recently announced its participation in the Partnership for Safe Water, a national volunteer initiative that seeks to help water utilities improve local water supply reliability and water quality.

Developed by leading water engineers, scientists, and utility operations and management experts, the Partnership uses proven self-assessment optimization methods to identify and improve operations. Sponsored by the American Water Works Association (AWWA), the program is supported by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and five (5) other water organizations striving to provide optimum quality drinking water. DWM joins more than 250 water utilities in the program, which includes a rigorous review of water operation practices developed by national experts, and a four-step, self-assessment and peer-review process.

“Our goal is to continually strive to improve our operations and water quality,” said Quinton Fletcher, DWM Deputy Commissioner of the Office Water Treatment and Reclamation. “Participating in the Partnership for Safe Water will provide us the opportunity to evaluate our water system operations, maintenance procedures, management practices, and identify areas where system operations can be enhanced.”

As members of the Partnership, utilities make a pledge to their communities to improve system operations to reduce the risk of exposure to microbial contaminants and enhance system reliability. DWM will provide customers with continuous updates on their progress in the program.