Arizona American Water Honored With NAWC Management Innovation Award

Northwest Facility Teams Win Again for Saving Millions of Gallons of Water


PHOENIX, Oct. 22  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Arizona American Water, a subsidiary of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK), the largest investor-owned U.S. water and wastewater utility company, announced yesterday that its subsidiary was awarded second prize in the National Association of Water Companies' (NAWC) 2009 Management Innovation Awards.

"I am proud to have such a dedicated operations team working at Arizona American Water with the capability to create sustainable and innovative solutions," said Arizona American Water President Paul Townsley.

The award was presented at the 5th National Drinking Water Symposium on Oct. 13. The annual Management Innovation Awards recognize new and innovative programs that promote better water service, wider recognition of the industry and improved utility management. Arizona American Water's operations team received the award for significantly reducing water consumption at its Northwest Valley Regional Water Reclamation Facility.

"American Water exemplifies the high level of commitment our industry has to our customers and to the communities in which we do business," said Michael Deane, executive director of the NAWC. "NAWC members have pioneered numerous environmental sustainability practices and always strive to practice what they preach when it comes to water conservation. The winning management innovation programs of these three companies represent the best of the best in those areas."

The facility's operations team created a way to reuse water from the treated effluent by filtering it with a water filter intended for drinking water. By reusing the filtered water for operational purposes, the team drastically reduced purchased water costs by more than 50 percent annually, and - at the time of the award nomination - the facility estimated a water savings of more than 12 million gallons a year. Since the nomination was submitted, the facility has obtained new data that shows the actual savings is more than 20 million gallons of water per year.

Arizona American Water, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Water, is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to more than 300,000 people.

Founded in 1886, American Water is the largest investor-owned U.S. water and wastewater utility company.  With headquarters in Voorhees, N.J., the company employs more than 7,000 dedicated professionals who provide drinking water, wastewater and other related services to approximately 15 million people in 32 states and Ontario, Canada. More information can be found by visiting http://www.amwater.com/. 

DATASOURCE: Arizona American Water



CONTACT:  Joni McGlothlin of Arizona American Water, [phone],





Web Site:  http://www.amwater.com/ 

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