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U.S. EPA presents prestigious national water award to Riverside; The city placed first in the nation in wastewater pretreatment category

Release Date: 11/14/2006
Contact Information: Mark Merchant, (415) 947-4297

(11/14/06 -- LOS ANGELES) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced the city of Riverside has received a first-place award for its outstanding and innovative achievements in wastewater treatment and pollution prevention.

Alexis Strauss, the director of the EPA’s Water Division for the Pacific Southwest Region, will present the national award to the Riverside City Council at its regular board meeting Nov. 14.

“The city of Riverside has an outstanding pretreatment program coupled with strong pollution prevention elements that focus on pollutants that either impact or could have an effect on the Santa Ana River and its watershed,” said Strauss. “The receipt of this record of award indicates an organization that has internalized excellence as a core value”

The EPA’s pretreatment awards recognize municipalities that effectively implement this complex regulatory program that ensures industrial wastewater is being treated before entering the nation’s waters. Award recipients implement measures that go beyond the basic pretreatment program and demonstrate innovation in implementing the program.

The EPA’s National Pretreatment Program has led the way in dramatically reducing or eliminating pollution releases to sewer systems and the nation’s water bodies. The program controls a complex array of industrial wastewater to prevent interference or pass–through of municipal treatment system processes. Without these controls, a number of harmful pollutants could make their way into the nation’s waters. Federal, state and local partnerships are central to the successful implementation of the program.

For more information, visit: http://epa.gov/region9/water/pretreatment/index.html