SUEZ officials announced that the company has been presented with the Business and Industry Award from the Water Resources Association.
The award from the Delaware River Basin came from what was described as an environmentally sustainable Watershed Control Plan approach to source water protection of the Red and White Clay Creeks.
SUEZ depends upon the surface water sources to produce drinking water for a population of 100,000 in New Castle County.
Instead of increasing the carbon footprint and cost to customers through major investments in the Stanton water treatment plant, SUEZ’ Watershed Control Plan focuses upstream to reduce pollution from entering the creeks in the first place.
“There is an old saying that what happens upstream does not stay upstream,” said SUEZ Delaware operations manager Larry Finnicum. By partnering with some longstanding and respected environmental and other conservation entities, SUEZ’ plan has helped complete projects that protect the waterways before they reach SUEZ’ Delaware water treatment facilities.
SUEZ is among water providers in 38 states that took action to meet more stringent US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) standards concerning a specific water borne pathogen found in rivers, lakes and streams across the country called Cryptosporidium.
A prime source of Cryptosporidium comes from cow manure. Through the use of stream bank fencing to limit cattle access to surface waters, the creation of vegetated stream bank buffer zones to trap storm water runoff, and promotion of other best management practices, the SUEZ plan has succeeded in achieving the goal of improved source water quality.
SUEZ’ Watershed Control Plan was the first in a five-state region to have achieved US EPA approval The plan committed up to $670,000 over five years to develop and implement projects to attain the required Cryptosporidium reduction credit.
Other partners are Chester County Conservation District, New Castle County Conservation District, White Clay Watershed Association, Brandywine Red Clay Alliance, Delaware Nature Society, Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, Brandywine Conservancy, and the City of Newark.
SUEZ in Delaware was formerly known as United Water.
