bottled vs.tap: - Virginia Water Environment Association

Purcellville’s Basham SimmsSafetyWater ReclamationAwardFacility ReceivesOn September 11, 2012, The Town ofPurcellville received the 2011 FacilitySafety Award from the Virginia WaterEnvironment Association (VWEA)during a lunchtime reception at itsannual meeting in Virginia Beach,Virginia. Purcellville SuperintendentScott House received the award onbehalf of the town.Brian Brown, Field Operations Employee of the Year (Purcellville) and Class I Lead Operator,cleaning up in the laboratory.“This award is so important to us, as areflection of our focus on safety at the plant.The award is to be shared among all nineemployees who operate the plant for useach and every day,” said Town ManagerRobert Lohr.According to the VWEA award application,the purpose of the annual award is toencourage wastewater treatment facilitiesto “participate in promoting an active andeffective safety program and to stimulate thecollection and reporting of safety data.”“Purcellville earned this award for theirdedication towards safety awareness andtheir outstanding safety program,” saidWayne Sirna, past chairperson of the VWEAAccident Prevention and Safety Committee.The water reclamation facility has not hadan accident since October 2009.The Basham Simms Water ReclamationFacility is a 1.5 million gallons per day(mgd) advanced wastewater treatmentplant designed to meet enhanced nutrientremoval treatment goals set by the effluentpermit requirements for discharge intoNorth Fork Goose Creek, a tributary of thePotomac River en route to the ChesapeakeBay. The treatment process includes coarsescreening, grit removal, primary clarification,fine screening, enhanced nutrient removal ina membrane biological reactor (MBR), andUV disinfection.The water reclamation facility is staffedby nine employees: six operators, one labtechnician, one maintenance mechanic andone superintendent.42 The Conduit – Fall 2012