The Washington County Service Authority has earned the Virginia Department of Health’s prestigious Excellence in Waterworks Performance Award for the third year in a row.

Each year, the VDH Office of Drinking Water recognizes systems that demonstrate excellence in performance, operations, treatment and distribution of drinking water to the public. The Office of Drinking Water will announce this year’s winners and present awards at noon on May 10, 2007, at the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center in Roanoke, Va.

“Winning this award for the third time demonstrates our commitment to deliver clean, reliable drinking water to the citizens of Washington County,” says Robbie Cornett, interim general manager for the WCSA. “It is exciting to be recognized by the Virginia Department of Health as one of a few outstanding water systems in the state, and I am honored to be part of this team of water industry professionals.”

In keeping with its goal to provide quality drinking water to its customers, the WCSA constantly performs tests to meet government regulations, including rules issued by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The VDH ensures affordable, safe drinking water to about six million Virginians through approximately 1,310 community waterworks. The VDH also monitors more than 1,650 non-community waterworks serving facilities such as schools, factories and restaurants.

The WCSA has more than 19,000 accounts serving 45,000 people in Washington County, including the towns of Abingdon, Damascus and Glade Spring. It also provides wastewater service to 1,400 homes, businesses and industries in parts of Washington County.

The Washington County Service Authority (WCSA) was recently awarded a fourth-place finish in the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting Awards. Recognized as the world’s largest water tasting competition, the event was held in Berkeley Springs, W.Va., and attracted more than 100 waters from across the world.

The WCSA was among 32 participants in the municipal category, which included entries from 12 states in addition to international participants from Canada and New Zealand.

“We’re extremely honored to receive an award that recognizes us for providing some of the best tasting water in the world,” said David Dawson, general manager of the WCSA. “This achievement is a result of the WCSA’s dedication to provide a reliable supply of clean drinking water to our valued customers.”

A panel of judges rated the water based on several attributes including appearance, aroma, taste, aftertaste and how light it felt.

In 2004, the WCSA received the “Director’s Award of Recognition” from the Partnership for Safe Water after identifying factors that limit drinking water treatment plant performance. Only the third utility from Virginia to earn the award, the WCSA was among more than 300 utilities nationwide participating in the Partnership. In July, the WCSA was asked by the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and Water System Optimization (WSO) to serve as a case study for water utilities nationwide because of its innovative water loss reduction efforts.

The WCSA has 19,233 water accounts serving 45,000 people in Washington County, including the towns of Abingdon, Damascus and Glade Spring. It also provides wastewater service to 1,400 homes, businesses and industries in parts of Washington County.