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New Jersey American Water Treatment Plant Earns River Friendly Business Certification

Posted on: Thursday, 14 May 2009, 11:03 CDT

CHERRY HILL, N.J., May 14 /PRNewswire/ -- New Jersey American's largest water treatment plant is also its most environmentally friendly. The New Jersey Water Supply Authority has certified New Jersey American Water's Raritan-Millstone Water Treatment Plant (WTP) a "River Friendly Business."

To be certified, the Raritan-Millstone WTP met four River Business Friendly Criteria in the categories of Water Quality Management, Water Conservation Techniques, Wildlife and Habitat Enhancement, and Education and Outreach.

Located at the confluence of the Raritan and Millstone Rivers, the Raritan-Millstone WTP, along with the New Jersey American Water Canal Road WTP, delivers high-quality water to approximately 1.3 million people in 57 municipalities in eight New Jersey counties. The Raritan-Millstone WTP can distribute up to 150 million gallons of water per day and is a zero-discharge facility -- all water at the plant is recycled and no waste or pollutants are discharged into the environment.

Employees at the plant take great pains to ensure that wildlife in the area is not disturbed, from planting a butterfly garden to protecting the bat population. The golf carts used to transport employees across the 120 acre plant are powered by solar energy and use no fossil fuels.

"The designation of our Raritan-Millstone Plant as a river friendly business is something that New Jersey American Water is very proud of," said John Bigelow, president of New Jersey American Water. "As a company, we understand the importance of protecting our sources of water which also helps us to ensure that we are delivering the highest-quality water to our customers. We will continue to discover and implement practices to become a more environmentally friendly utility provider."

New Jersey American Water has a history of participating in New Jersey's River Friendly programs and consistently works to improve water quality by reducing pollution, conserving water and supporting native habitat.

New Jersey American Water has also instituted a "No Idle" policy as part of a New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection voluntary program to reduce air pollution. The company requires that parked vehicles turn off their engines and asks the same of New Jersey American Water's vendors and contractors.

The River Friendly program was created by the New Jersey Water Supply Authority (NJWSA), the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association (SBMWA) and the South Branch Watershed Association (SBMWA) to implement water resource protection projects in the Raritan River Basin. The program was made possible through a grant from the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

New Jersey American Water, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 2.5 million 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 www.amwater.com.

SOURCE New Jersey American Water

Source: PR Newswire

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