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South Essex Sewerage District Wastewater Facility in Mass. Recognized for Excellence

Release Date: 02/07/2006
Contact Information:

U.S. EPA - New England Regional Office
February 7, 2006

Contact: David Deegan, 617-918-1017

(Boston) – The South Essex Sewerage District Wastewater Treatment Facility in Mass. was recently selected by EPA for an "Operations and Maintenance Wastewater Excellence Award" in the large secondary plant category.

Employees from the facility were recognized by EPA's New England Regional Office for their outstanding work in operating and maintaining the facility and their overall commitment to improving water quality. The plant was among six facilities in New England recognized for exemplary performance in 2005. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection was instrumental in nominating the district..

The South Essex Sewerage District (SESD) is a regional facility that serves the communities of Salem, Beverly, Danvers, Peabody and Marblehead. Executive Director Harold Newhall, District Engineer Arthur Knight, Facilities Engineer Alan Taubert, Superintendent of Operations Randall Briggs, and Superintendent of Maintenance Richard Cuzner, along with their respective colleagues, have been singled out for their professional commitment and resourcefulness in the operation and maintenance of this facility, according to EPA officials.

“The professionals operating this wastewater treatment plant play a crucial role ensuring that our lakes and rivers are protected from unnecessary pollution,” said Robert W. Varney, regional administrator of EPA's New England Office. “The individuals who run this plant, and the municipalities that support them, are key to keeping our environment healthy. I am proud to give them the credit they deserve.”

The EPA Regional Operations & Maintenance Excellence Award was established to recognize and honor the employees of publicly owned wastewater treatment plants for their commitment to improving water quality not only with outstanding operation and maintenance, but also through a combination of continued permit compliance, effective financial management, and on-going operator training. More often than not and particularly with the smaller facilities, conscientious operators and staff continue to perform exceptionally with limited resources.

The staff and facility was recognized on January 25th at the annual New England Water Environment Association Conference in Boston. The South Essex Sewerage District will now have the opportunity to be nominated for a national EPA 2006 National Operation and Maintenance Excellence Award this coming spring.

For more information: https://www.epa.gov/ne/topics/water/wwater.html

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