Abstract |
In 1985, by authority of Section 501(e) of the Clean Water Act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiated an annual National Operations and Maintenance (O and M) Excellence Awards Program to recognize outstanding O and M at publicly owned wastewater treatment facilities. The first national awards were presented in 1986. The O and M Awards Program was an immediate success and was widely acclaimed as a way for EPA to honor plant personnel and local officials for their commitment to clean water. Due to that success, the awards program was expanded in 1988 to include Sludge Awards, now referred to as Biosolids Exemplary Management Awards to recognize outstanding biosolids operating projects, technology development, and research, and later public acceptance efforts. In 1989, the Pretreatment Excellence Awards Program was added to recognize municipal implementation and enforcement of local pretreatment programs. In 1990, a new awards category for Most Improved Plant was added to the O and M awards program to recognize the efforts of the plant operator, the town, and the operator trainer who helped return the plant to compliance under a technical assistance program designed to help small communities. In 1991, the Combined Sewer Overflow Control Awards and the Storm Water Management Awards programs were added to recognize outstanding wastewater management programs and projects. In 2002, EPA issued a rule, 40 CFR Part 105, establishing a framework to implement these awards recognition programs as the Clean Water Act Recognition Awards (formerly the National Wastewater Management Excellence Awards). |